There Is Hope, After All
by notEASYbeingGREEN
Summary: Roger tells Mimi some news that could change both of their lives, and the lives of all of their friends. Rated for language, and, well, other nongraphic things that are mentioned. IT'S DONE!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Why is it that I always get sick _right before the holidays?_ GAH!!! I'm in a bad mood, so this is probably going to be a bad fic. I know it's short...i'm sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, and y'all know it. Not even the one tiny little _Take Me Or Leave Me _lyric.**

Roger and Mimi were walking together, on their way to the grocery store. They desperately needed food in the loft; the only thing that was in the fridge was green and fuzzy.

"You know, life is good for us?" Roger said, as they stepped into the store.

"Why is this, Roger?" Mimi asked skeptically, grabbing a shopping cart from the front of the store.

"Do you remember how I told you my cousin, Adam, was a doctor and a scientist kinda dude?" Roger asked, and Mimi nodded.

"Remember how he's in this whole big fancy shmancy lab with all these other rich guys? Remember how they're all trying to find the cure for AIDS?" Mimi nodded again as she picked up a melon, examining it for bruises.

"Guess what my cousin just did three days ago," Roger whispered in Mimi's ear, and she gave him a wide-eyed look.

"No," she breathed. Roger just nodded.

Mimi threw the melon behind her shoulder and jumped on Roger. She kissed him hard on the lips, until someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and saw a guy with a crushed cantaloupe on his head. Mimi and Roger burst out laughing.

"Uh, can I help you, sir?" Mimi said between giggles.

"I'm the manager of this store," the man said through clenched teeth, "and I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Ask away," Roger said, as he lead Mimi away. Before they went, Mimi took a piece of the melon off of the guy's head, and ate it.

"Glad I threw that one out," she said, "it tastes awful."

Apparently, that was the straw that broke the manager's back. He chased the couple onto the street, and all the way down the block. Once he went back inside, Roger and Mimi started cracking up. She had to lean on him, and he had to sit down he was laughing so hard.

When they both stopped, they had tears streaming down their cheeks. Their faces were red and they were out of breath. He gave her a bone crushing hug, then looked her straight in the eye.

"Meems, serious question," he said as he fished around in his pocket for something.

"Yeah?" she said, looking a little worried.

"Marry me?" he asked, taking out a ring and placing it on Mimi's finger. She nodded, laughing, and touched the ring.

"This is plastic!"

**A/N: k, I'm done. Not sure if it's gonna be a oneshot or not. R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey. I'm updating. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! **

**Disclaimer: man, I wish Jonathan Larson never died, and then he could choose me to co-own RENT. Except that didn't happen, so I don't. Own RENT, I mean. I don't own RENT. GAH!! Why can't I own RENT? (If I keep going, the disclaimer will be longer than the fic.)**

Mimi was sitting on a bench, attempting to admire the plastic ring that Roger had given her as an engagement ring. _It's the thought that counts, right?,_ she thought to herself, and decided that she loved it. Roger was just watching his girlfriend -- no, his fiance -- admire the ring. He loved making her happy.

"Rog," she said, "how are we going to pay?" Roger suddenly got worried.

"Did Benny ask you for rent again?" he asked, "Because if he did-" Mimi's laughter cut him off. She playfully hit him on the arm, and gave him a quick kiss.

"I meant for the cure," she said, "and the wedding. Mark is already working his ass off to get us a shitload of money, and that's just for AZT!"

"Well," Roger replied, "I do know a guy who just happened to stumble upon the cure. Perhaps he could help us out?"

Mimi smiled a pure smile. _Imagine that, _she thought to herself, _no more AIDS. No more. Just me, Roger, Angel and Collins living our lives normally, without that damned virus. And for free, at that._

"I know, it's great, isn't it?" Roger asked her. She gave him a quizzical look.

"I know you better that Angel does, now," he said playfully, "I can read your mind."

"You do _not_ know me better than Angel," she said, getting up, "that's just impossible. Now, come." She grabbed his hand, leading him home.

"Where are we going?" he asked her, entwining his fingers with hers. She just pulled him toward the loft, eventually breaking into a run. They ran together, like in those stupid old movies, in slow motion or something. Once they arrived, she bolted up the stairs, making Roger fall behind.

"After we get well, we're getting you in shape," she said, laughing.

"Meems," he panted, "this isn't funny. I may die from running. I'm sweating to death! MIMI!"

She just laughed and threw open the door. Angel and Collins were there, making out.

"STOP IT YOU TWO!" Mimi shouted, and the pair broke apart. "I HAVE SOME VERY IMPORTANT NEWS!"

"Oh my God, did Roger ask you to marry him?" Angel asked, getting excited.

"Ang," Mimi said, looking a bit disappointed. "How did you know?"

"Because, chica," Angel answered, "You never run in high heels unless it's _really_ important. And -- Roger! What the hell happened to you?"

By that time, Roger had come through the door, panting and red in the face. He went straight to the couch and plopped down next to Collins. The philosopher burst out laughing.

"Damn, Mimi," he said, "What'd you do to the boy?"

"I got a little excited, so I had him run," Mimi said simply. "What? There is _nothing_ wrong with running, now and then."

"Yes. There. Is." Roger panted. "I. Can't. Run." Mimi rolled her eyes. She went over to him and gave him a passionate kiss on the mouth.

"Now," she said, "no more complaining." Roger just stared at her, and Collins shook his head, trying not to laugh. Angel sat down on the other side of Collins, leaning on him.

"There's more," Mimi said, and they all looked at her. Well, all except Roger, who just might have passed out.

"I can't tell you yet," she said, "At the Life tonight. Everyone will find out our big news then, okay?"

Angel pouted, Roger was busy being unconscious (well, not really, he was just sort of tired from running), and Collins was calling everyone to meet up at the Life that night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: You know, if this story is really that bad, I'll stop…I'm not getting a lot of reviews…waaaaah!**

**Disclaimer: last time I checked, I don't own it.**

Mimi had Collins call everyone while she and Angel were attempting to cool Roger off. First they gave him water, which he refused to drink. Next they tried to change him into shorts, which he refused to do since it was the middle of winter. Finally, Mimi got fed up and threw a cup of tap water over his head.

"MIMI!" he spluttered, choking. "I'm not that out of shape, dammit!"

"Honey, take it from someone who works out every morning," Angel said, showing off her muscles. "You could use some toning up." Mimi nodded her head in agreement, attempting to hold in a giggle. It wasn't really working. Roger just pouted.

"Oh yeah? Well, I bet you couldn't play guitar as good as me!" he said after a while, handing Angel the guitar. "Go ahead, try!"

Angel took the guitar in her hands. She positioned it perfectly on her lap, and began to pluck a string. When a sour note came out, she just shook her head. "Honey, your guitar could use some toning up, too."

She began toning the strings, then plucked each one. A perfect sound came out each time. Roger gaped, and then Angel began to play. She played Musetta's Waltz, even the sequence of notes that Roger always had trouble with. When she finished, she took a small bow. Mimi clapped and cheered like crazy, soon joined by Collins.

"Baby, why didn't you ever tell me you could play guitar?" he asked Angel, snaking his arms around her waist. She giggled.

"Never came up in conversation, you know?" she replied. "But, anyway, what time at the Life tonight?"

"Ah, shit, I knew I forgot something," Collins said, standing up. He ran back into the bedroom to use the phone. "I fell asleep," he called, "Long day at work!"

Mimi laughed along with Angel. Roger was still pouting. "We have such stupid boyfriends," Angel told her friend. Mimi nodded in agreement, but Roger yanked her down next to him and started to tickle her.

"Shit Roger - HAHAHA! - Rog, I'm ticklish - HAHAHA - dammit, Roger," she said, trying to get him off of her. Mimi finally hatched a plan, and began to tickle him back. He threw his head back and laughed, his mouth wide open. This is where Mimi cut in, kissing him on the lips. The tickling was soon forgotten, and Roger and Mimi were lying on the couch making out. When Collins came back out, he started with Angel, and soon both couples had forgotten that people were coming to the loft in a mere fifteen minutes.

Xxxxxxxxxx_15 minutes later_xxxxxxxxxX

Roger and Mimi were on the couch, gasping for air like there was no tomorrow. Collins and Angel were still making out, but immediately broke apart when Maureen made a dramatic entrance.

"I HAVE ARRIVED!" she said loudly, causing everyone to groan. Joanne emerged from behind her and quickly whispered something in her ear. Maureen quieted down after that, and went to sit down next to Collins and Angel. Joanne sat down next to Mimi, and Mimi gave her a giant bear hug. Joanne was a bit taken aback by this; she had never been really close to Mimi. But she did hug her back, and when Mimi pulled away, Joanne asked her something.

"Why did you hug me?" Joanne asked her. "You _never_ hug me."

"God, Jo," Mimi said, "You're my friend. I'm not allowed to hug you?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Joanne said quickly, "you just hardly ever do. Are you really, _really_ happy about something?" She thought a minute, then said, "Oh my God, Mimi, did Roger ask you to marry him?"

"Pookie, Mimi would tell us if he did," Maureen said. "She'd get the whole group together at the Life, then announce it." Joanne just rolled her eyes and waited for Maureen to piece everything together. Everyone laughed as Maureen grew wide-eyed.

"OH MY GOD, POOKIE!" she shouted. "THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT MIMI'S GOING TO DO! YOU'RE A GENIUS!" Maureen gave Joanne a quick kiss, and then squashed Mimi into a huge bear hug.

"Maureen," Mimi said, "You're squishing me. I'm going to die before I turn 25." Maureen immediately pulled back and sat next to Joanne. She had a sad look on her face. Mimi realized this and pulled Maureen into another hug.

"Oh, Mo, I'm sorry," Mimi said, "I didn't mean-"

"It's okay, Meems," Maureen said, plastering a smile on her face. "We're okay."

Mimi sat back down, except this time on Roger's lap. She kissed him softly on the lips, then deepened the kiss. The other two couples followed suit, and pretty soon all three were making out in various places: Maureen and Joanne had the coffee table, Roger and Mimi occupied the couch, and Collins and Angel were on the floor.

At that moment, Mark walked in, humming. He quietly closed the door behind him, then let out a scream when he saw everyone making out.

"GAH!"

"Oh, shit, Roger get off of me!"

"Honeybear, don't do that now!"

"Collins, stop it!"

"Dammit, Joanne, not here!"

"Mimi, save that for later!"

"Guys, give it a rest!" Mark said, "I don't care. I'm on my way to the Life, anyway." Right before leaving, he said, "Oh, right. Congratulations Rog. _Lovely _ring, Meems. See you guys later."

"MARK!" Mimi called, and Mark stopped. "How did you know that we were all going to the Life tonight? Collins never told you!"

"Oh, um, well," he stuttered, "I was just, uh, well, I'm going to-"

"Mark, what are you not telling us?" Roger asked, and Mark blushed. Angel decided to speak up.

"Honey, c'mon," Angel coaxed, "tell us!"

"Mfrewook," Mark mumbled, and everyone just looked at him like he was crazy.

"Mark," Joanne said in her lawyer voice, and Mark knew that everyone was serious. He looked up and spoke slowly.

"I'm meeting a friend," he said, and Mimi squealed.

"MARKY! YOU'VE GOT A HOT DATE!" Mimi yelled at the top of her lungs. "WHO IS SHE?"

Suddenly, Mark was bombarded with questions. Well, Joanne was sitting back waiting patiently. Mark met her eyes, and she saw the distress in them. She cleared her throat, and stood up.

"_EVERYONE!" _she shouted, "_LEAVE THE POOR BOY ALONE! _" Everyone backed away from Mark, who now looked like a complete mess. He nodded a thanks to Joanne and ran out of the loft. Collins chuckled.

"Let's give him, I don't know, five minutes," he said, "Then we go."

The bohemians agreed, and Roger and Mimi just gave each other a glance, waiting impatiently to tell everyone the big news.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Haha, I'm on an updating role! Woohoo, go me! YEAH! Ahem, sorry. Just so you know, this is not tuning into an entire fic about Mark...although this chapter is sort of about him.**

**Disclaimer: not mine. You know it. Although this new person is mine, and if someone else has already used the name in a RENT fic, just tell me and I'll change it.**

The group decided to give Mark some time to go on his date, then show up at the life to spy -- erm -- run into him. In the meantime, they played cards. Well, all except Roger. He was asleep with Mimi on his lap.

"Got any threes?" Maureen asked Collins, and he shook his head. Maureen pouted. "But I really need a three! Can I please have one?" Collins laughed.

"Mo, honey," Angel said, "he would give you a three if he had one. But since he doesn't have one, he can't give one to you. Believe me, I'd make him give you a three, but I can't. You know why I can't? 'Cause Collins just doesn't have a three! DEAL WITH IT!"

"God, Angel," Maureen said, "I thought you were the one female who doesn't go through PMS, but I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry," Angel said, "I had this awful cough last night that kept me up."

"You seem fine now, Angel," Joanne said playfully. "Would you care to tell us what really happened last night?"

"No!" Mimi said before Collins or Angel could say anything. "When it comes to the two of them, things can get nasty. Believe me, I walked in on them once. Let me tell you, I had nightmares for weeks." She shuddered, and Collins gave her the finger. She playfully stuck her tongue out at him, then got up.

"Wherewegoin," Roger mumbled groggily. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, then stood up with Mimi. She poked him repeatedly to wake him up.

"Is that really necessary?" he asked, and they all laughed. Roger walked into the bathroom while Maureen cleaned up the cards. Joanne slipped them back into her bag, then Angel asked her why she carries around cards. Collins looked up, curious.

"You never know when you might need them," she said simply. "I mean you could be stuck in traffic for hours, or be on a plane for a while. And sometimes days at the office can get really boring..." She would have kept going if Maureen hadn't interrupted her.

"Ooooh, Pookie," Maureen said, "Do you get most of your money by playing poker at the office?" She wrapped her arm around Joanne's waist. Joanne giggled.

"Who told you?" Joanne asked playfully, and Maureen nuzzled her neck. They had both been doing so well lately, hardly fighting and never breaking up. Angel aaaaaaaaaaaawwed, and then tried to drag everyone to the Life. Mimi ran to get Roger. About ten seconds later, everyone heard a lot of yelling, water running, and a high pitched scream. Mimi and Roger came out of the bathroom, soaking wet, and walked out of the loft. No one asked.

The group got to the Life in record time. Even Roger ran, but did need to stop and take a break before they went in. While Roger was resting, Angel was talking to Mimi about this brand new pair of shoes that she really liked, and Joanne and Maureen were making out. (Told you they were doing well) Finally, curiosity got the best of Collins, and he yelled at the group to follow him. They all went into the Cafe, and saw Mark making out with a brown-haired, freckley girl. She dressed like Collins - the plaid shirt and cargo pants. She just didn't have the beanie, her hair was too curly for anything to rest on top of it. Well, except Mark's hands. The bohemians cheered, and the two immediately broke apart.

"Hi!" the girl said, standing up. "My name's Andi, and - HOLY SHIT! TOM COLLINS!"

"ANDI!" Collins yelled, and pulled the girl into a bear hug. She smiled and hugged him back, then went and grabbed Mark's hand. She stood him up next to her, talking furiously.

"God, Mark, I had no idea you knew Collins!" she said, waving her arms. "Why didn't you tell me? He was an old professor of mine! Man, I missed this guy! Collins, you look exactly the same. God, I missed you so much. Okay, wait, I just said that. Oh, who cares!" She pulled Collins into another hug, and he introduced her to everyone while Mark beamed.

Mimi and Roger were the last two to be introduced to Andi. Once the introductions were done, the group moved the tables together and sat and drank. Mimi was itching to tell everyone the big news about the marriage and cure for about the entire dinner. When everyone was about to leave, Mimi stopped them.

"HEY, EVERYONE!" she shouted, "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I TELL YOU MY BIG NEWS!"

"Mimi," Mark whined, "We all know you and Roger are getting married-"

"What?" Andi interrupted, and looked over at Mimi. She nodded, and Andi gave her a hug. Mimi hugged her back - she had grown to like Andi.

"Yes, I'm getting married," Mimi said dryly. "We also have other news. Can you guess?" She smiled, but before anyone could say anything, she added one more thing.

"If any of you guys ask if I'm pregnant, I'll kick your ass." Everyone except Maureen laughed.

"Mimi," Roger whispered in her ear, coming up from behind her, "Just tell everyone so that we can go home and celebrate." She smiled.

"Okay, I'll tell," Mimi said, and everyone cheered. "Roger's cousin, Adam, works in this big ol' fancy schmansy laboratory, and does research about AIDS. Three days ago, Adam stumbled upon, oh, I don't know, let me think. Oh yeah, THE CURE!"

No one moved until they heard soft crying. It was Andi. Angel rushed over to her and gave her a big bear hug. She asked her what's wrong.

"Nothing's wrong," she said with a smile on her face. "I'm happy! I'm really close to my sister, and she has AIDS. Now she doesn't have to go through all of the shit she does every day. Thanks for telling me, Mimi, and congratulations to you guys about your wedding. I'm gonna go." She got up, gave Collins a hug, and went over and sat on Mark's lap. He wiped the tears off her face, then kissed her. She waved and walked out.

"Damn, Mark," Collins said cheerfully, "how did you find her? I missed that little bitch!"

"Yeah Mark," Roger said, "How did you just happen to stumble upon Andi?"

"Well, I was sitting on the subway on my way home," Mark started, "and a girl that dressed exactly like you," he pointed to Collins, "got on. She was walking over to sit down on the seat next to me, and tripped. She fell in my lap, and all of these amazing drawings fell out of her bag. She quickly apologized, but she stayed in my lap. It was sort of a love-at-first-sight thing." Everyone aaaaaaaaaaaawwed, and Mimi got up on the table, holding up a glass of wine.

"TO A LONG, LONG LIFE!"

Now everyone knew: they really would have a long, long life.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: okay, hi people. I'm updating. To the few who do read this: review, tell me what you think, and if you're well-known on the site, I'm _begging_ you: SPREAD THE WORD::attempts to pout, but fails miserably::**

**Disclaimer: nope, not mine...still.**

The bohemians were on their way home. Okay, it was just Mark, Roger and Mimi, but they were on their way home, nonetheless. Mark was humming to himself, and sort of skipping along. This was freaking Roger out.

"Mark, seriously," Roger said, "You need to stop."

"Oh, Rog, _you _stop it," Mimi said. "He's just in love. Or really high." Then she thought for a sec, and said, "No, wait a minute, it's _Mark_. He's in love.

"And bingo was his name-o!" Mark sang, which got him a really weird look from Roger. He blushed and quieted down. Mimi rolled her eyes at Roger and tried to encourage Mark to sing more. He refused, and also denied that he was in love several times. Mimi just gave him that I-don't-believe-you-so-stop-lying-or-I'll-kick-your-ass look. This scared him, because he knew very well that Mimi was capable of kicking his ass. He ran ahead, and Mimi ran after him.

"Meems," Roger called, attempting to catch up. "MIMI!"

She spun around, frustrated. "What, Roger?" He pretended to protect himself with his hands.

"God, Mimi," he said, "I just wanted you to wait up. You know that I can't run." She laughed, remembering how he did try to run, and how he nearly collapsed. He saw that she remembered, and was very glad. They walked home slowly together, and two blocks before they reached the loft, Roger stopped her.

"Roger, hurry up!" she whined. "I have to pee!"

"Just wait a sec, Meems," he said. "I need to do this when we're alone." She nodded and crossed her legs.

"It's nothing big, but I was thinking back to that day when I proposed to you. We were both laughing our asses off, having such a fucking great time." He fished around in his pocket for something, found it, and took it out. He hid it from her. "I gave you a pathetic plastic ring, and I kind of regret that. So I was wondering..." he took the plastic ring off of her finger, "if I could give you..." and slipped another ring on, "A real ring. Could that work for you?"

Mimi looked down at the ring. It was gold with beautiful aquamarine stones set in it. She gasped and gave Roger a gentle kiss on the lips. "How did you get this?"

"I worked a few gigs, you know, playing guitar," Roger said, and Mimi gave him a look. "Okay, they were at kid's parties. What're you going to do?"

He wrapped his arm around her waist. She leaned on him, resting her head on his shoulder. They began walking towards the loft again, as if it was a fairy-tale ending: Pretty sunset, happy couple...

"ROGER! You grab my ass again, and I swear..."

**A/N: dunno, I'm sick again and I got bored. Just a short chapter, doesn't mean much. Something to keep the plot interesting, I guess.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Mimi goes a little crazy in this chapter...dun, dun, dun! Sorry, this chappie is kind of weak. Oh, and I tried to write a WickedRENT crossover fic, so, to those who read: review this one, and _please_ give the Wicked fic a chance?**

**Disclaimer: It's Jonathan's. Not mine. Too bad, huh?**

**Another A/N: This is set about a week later. Mark and Andi were head-over-heals in love, and the entire group had accepted Andi. Mostly the girls, though.**

"ROGER!" a female voice sang/yelled, and Roger Davis awoke immediately from his sleep. The clock said 7:55 AM. He groaned and rolled looked over to the other side of the bed that he shared with Mimi. It was empty. He groaned again, and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"What, Mimi?" Roger mumbled. He sleepily stepped into the living area. Andi was just walking in, and she screamed. She grabbed a newspaper and shielded her eyes from the rocker. He gave her a funny look, which she, of course, couldn't see.

"Roger, you idiot!" she exclaimed, shielding as much of her face as possible with the paper. She was wearing an outfit similar to Collins again, except her hair was in a sloppy French braid. She had a backpack slung over her shoulder, but was gradually falling down her arm.

"What's up, Andi?" he said, "And is it cold in here, or is it just me?"

"Roger, you dumbfuck," Andi cried, "go put on some clothes!" Roger looked down, saw that he was ass-naked, and let out a scream. Mimi had been watching the whole fiasco, and found it fairly amusing. She went to stand in front of Roger, shielding him and walking him back into the bedroom. She waved to Andi who was making her way over to the couch.

"Sorry, Andi," Mimi called from the bedroom, and Andi mumbled something that neither of them could hear. Just then, Mark walked out of his own room, also half asleep. Except he had clothing on. He saw Andi and immediately smiled, rushing over to her.

"Hey, Mark," she said, hugging him. "Surprised?" He nodded and hugged her back. He then flinched when he heard a female scream. And other ... noises ... coming from Mimi and Roger's bedroom. Andi gave him a _look_, and Mark answered her with a you-don't-want-to-know look. She just nodded, but she called out, "Meems? You okay?"

"Fine, Andi," Mimi called back, "Just, uh, OW! You know, planning a --giggle-- wedding! I'll be out in a sec!" Andi rolled her eyes, and Mark got up to make coffee.

"Mark," she said after a while, "whaddaya wanna do today?" Mark came and sat down next to her. He shrugged and handed her a cup of coffee. She thanked him, took a sip, and spit it out, furiously wiping at her mouth and making various gagging noises.

"And what, may I ask, is wrong with my coffee?" Mark asked her, half serious. She laughed and looked at his cup. It was black, and hers had milk. She switched the two cups, then took a large sip of the black coffee. Mark chuckled and sipped his coffee as well. They just cuddled on the couch, you know, sipping coffee. When they both finished, Andi leaned in for a kiss. Mark almost met her lips, but...

"HAPPY TUESDAY, BITCHES," Collins yelled, happily walking into the loft. He clasped Angel's hand in his right h

and, and in his left, a bottle of Stoli. Mark and Andi groaned. Just then, Mimi walked out of her room wearing a long backwards shirt of Roger's. Roger walked out as well, but he was wearing a decent amount of clothes this time.

"What are y'all doin' today?" Collins asked, breaking out the paper cups and pouring Stoli in them. Mimi, Roger, Angel and Mark shrugged. Andi was busy in a corner with a sketchpad and pencil, drawing furiously. She mumbled something, but no one heard her.

"Speak up, chica," Angel said. Andi looked up and offered a smile.

"I said," she answered slowly, "that today, we're planning a _wedding!!"_ Angel squealed and ran over to Andi's side. She gave her a hug and they started talking very fast about the different kinds of dresses that Mimi should have. Mimi giggled and joined the conversation, leaving the three boho boys to do ... well, nothing, really.

After a lot of whispering, the girls came up with something for the guys to do. "You!" Mimi said, pointing to Roger. He looked up, half terrified, half curious. "Make yourself useful and go get tuxedos for every guy who's coming. That's you three, my dad, my seven uncles, my four nephews, and their dog, Spike. That's sixteen tuxedos for my side of the family. I don't know how the _hell_ we're going to afford them, but I'm very hormonal today, and you _better do what I say! Now GO!"_

Roger scurried out of the loft, dragging Mark and with him. The girls laughed, then realized that Collins was still around. The poor philosopher didn't know what was going to happen to him. But Mimi had an evil glint in her eye, and she slowly turned to Collins.

"You!" she said, pointing to him. "Go get us a date for the wedding some time in the next two months. I want a summer wedding. If you have to run across the entire fucking Alphabet City, _I don't care!_ Now _move it!" _He ran out of the loft and slammed the door behind him. Then he ran back in, grabbed the Stoli, and made a mad dash for the door.

This caused the girls to erupt into another fit of giggles. Andi especially, she wasn't used to how attached Collins could become to his alcoholic beverages. As if Angel read her mind, she said, "Honey, you'll get used to it. Now, did you say you draw?"

"Yeah!" Andi said, her eyes sparkling. "Especially people. I do draw clothes sometimes, though. You do too, right? Because Mimi told me that you design your own stuff?" Angel nodded, looking happy that Andi shared her interest.

"Ohmygod!" Andi exclaimed, acting like a girlie-girl, which was unusual for her. "You designed that top? It looks so _hot_ on you, girl!" Angel giggled.

"I know," she said, causing Mimi and Andi to laugh as well. Andi then took out her sketchpad, showing Angel the drawing she was working on earlier. It was of a beautiful wedding dress that had a low V-neck collar, and a slit up one leg. It looked like it was made especially for Mimi.

"Chica, you've got a future in fashion," Angel said, eying the dress. Mimi gasped.

"Andi, that drawing must be really good," Mimi said, "because Ang _never_ says that about _any _article of clothing _ever. _Well, except for the stuff she makes herself, but that's beside the point. Anyway, _lemee see it!" _Angel handed over the drawing and Mimi gasped again.

"My dress," she breathed, and her eyes filled up with tears. Andi knew that she liked it. Mimi gave her a big hug, and a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome," Andi said, and Angel cleared her throat.

"Meems?" she asked, and Mimi looked up. "Just _how many_ tuxedos did you ask Roger to get? Am I going to have to kill another dog?"

"Angel?" Andi asked, slowly backing away. "You kill dogs?" Angel and Mimi giggled.

"I'll tell you the story," Angel began, breaking out her drum sticks. "Last Christmas day was a _lucky one_ on Avenue A. This was when a lady in a limousine drove my way..."

**A/N: well? Tell me what ya think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here it is. On the last day that I'll be free to update for a _while_. So enjoy it while ya can. You know, for those who actually read this shit.**

**Disclaimer: Only in my dreams.**

**Another A/N: Same day as the last chappie.**

Roger and Mark stumbled back into the loft, panting. They were carrying about six brightly colored shopping bags apiece, and the bags didn't look too light. "Help," Roger wheezed out.

Andi got up and ran to help them as Angel and Mimi watched in silence. Andi took three bags from each guy, meaning Mark and Roger carried three bags each while Andi carried six. The boys still had trouble, while Andi went back to the girls with ease. She mouthed "sissies" to the girls, and they giggled. Andi handed the bags over to Mimi, who looked through them and shot Roger a thumbs-up.

"Wow, Roger," Andi said, "you didn't fuck up! Are you sick?" Roger gave her the finger, and she rolled her eyes. "You're _so_ responsible, rocker boy."

"Hey, watch it," Roger said, tensing up. He walked over to Andi, looking like he was about to kill her. Instead, he picked her up and sat her in Mark's lap. Andi thanked him and leaned on Mark's shoulders, giving him a hug which he happily returned. Roger looked around, confused. "Hey, something's missing," he said, "but I can't put my finger on it."

"Sugar, Collins went out," Angel said slowly. Roger looked kind of embarrassed that he didn't realize one of his best friends wasn't with him. But Collins came back soon enough, running through the door the same way Mark and Roger did. He scurried over to Mimi and handed her a piece of paper.

"COLLINS, YOU FUCKUP!" Mimi shouted after reading the paper over. She slapped him in the back of the head. "WE CAN'T GET MARRIED IN FIVE DAYS!" Collins looked shocked. He snatched the paper back and scanned it over.

"What?" he said, massaging his temples. "I thought the guy said five _weeks,_ not five _days! SHIT!_ Don't worry, guys, I'll fix it!" He ran out of the loft saying something about being back in an hour. The gang laughed, and Mark and Andi got up.

"Alright, Angel," Andi said, "You have the details for the dress. Make it happen! Just add a bit more lace near the collar, and maybe make it just above knee-length." She went over to give Angel and Mimi hugs, then waited for Mark to get ready.

"I'm teaching her how to use the camera," he said quietly, and everyone gasped. Andi just looked confused.

"What?" she asked, genuinely curious. "What's wrong with his camera?"

"Andi, you don't get it," Roger said, "Mark won't even let me _touch_ his camera, and I've known him since _kindergarten_. You? He hasn't known you for a _year,_ and he's already letting you _use_ it! He must love you a _lot."_ Andi and Mark both turned bright red, and ran out of the loft.

"So, Rog," Mimi said, "You want to see my soon-to-be wedding dress? Andi left the sketchbook that she drew it in here. Angel's gonna sew it on up." Roger nodded and Mimi handed him the sketchbook. He smiled at the dress, then clumsily dropped the sketchpad. It landed on a page where there was a drawing of a handsome young guy surrounded by a heart.

It wasn't Mark.

**A/N: dun, dun, _dun!!!!!_**

"That little bitch," Roger said, his fists clenching, and Angel came over to see what the hubbub was all about. The girls tried to calm Roger down by saying things like _Andi isn't the kind of person who would do that _and _Roger, this really isn't as bad as it looks! If you'd just let us explain..._

Just then, Mark and Andi walked back into the loft. They were holding hands and laughing. That is, until Roger turned around and started yelling at Andi.

"YOU CRAZY LITTLE BITCH!" he shouted at her, holding out the drawing. "YOU FUCKING CHEATED ON MY FUCKING BEST FRIEND! GET OUT! _NOW!" _Andi snatched the sketchpad from him and ran out of the loft. She was crying.

"Roger, you dick," Mark hissed, his fists clenching. "That's a wedding present for Andi's sister! It's her _sister's fiance!"_ Mark ran out of the loft, calling Andi's name. Mimi shook her head and started cursing at Roger in Spanish, and Roger was trying to calm her down and stop her.

"Alright, you win, I can't stop you," Roger said to Mimi, exasperated. Then he turned to Angel and asked for a translation.

"Honey, I don't think you want to know what she's saying," Angel replied, dragging Mimi into the bedroom to have a chat. Mimi still shouted at Roger when she was inside.

"Mimi, stop, please. Mimi, you're gonna hurt yourself! C'mon Meems!" Angel said to her friend. When Angel realized that none of this was working, she raised her voice. "Chica, calm your little ass down!" This Mimi a little bit. She cursed one more time under her breath, and then took a deep breath and said she was okay. Then the two started talking about random stuff.

"Did you hear?" Angel asked, and Mimi shook her head. Roger was listening in. "They're administering the cure down at the free clinic, you know." Mimi's eyes filled with happy tears, and she embraced Angel. Roger knocked on the door and walked in, his eyes asking Mimi's forgiveness. She gave him a soft kiss on the lips as an answer.

"We should go there," he said, to both girls. "When Collins gets back. We should all go. Get rid of AIDS as soon as fucking possible." Mimi nodded, but Angel just shook her head. Both Mimi and Roger gave her a funny look, and she explained.

"I'd go talk to Andi first, if I were you," Angel said. "You know she's a great little kid. She can't handle all the shit you gave her. She said to us all that her sister had AIDS."

"What?" Roger asked, getting mad. "You want me to jeopardize my health so that the little brat that we call Andi --"

"Hey, man," Collins said, coming up from behind Roger. He sounded mad. "Don't talk like that about Andi. She's a great kid who went through a lot of shit when I taught her. Plus, Mark _adores_ her, and she adores him. Don't fuck up their relationship, man. Go apologize to her. Now. The clinic and the cure will be here tomorrow."

When Roger didn't move, Mimi dragged him out of the loft, and the search for Andi and Mark began.

**A/N: suckish ending, I know. Anyway, to those who read: review!!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: hey, y'all! Ok, to those who read: enjoy. And sorry about the short-ness. I promise the next chapter will be long.**

**Disclaimer: duh.**

Andi ran briskly down the street of Avenue B. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she was clutching her sketchpad as if it was a million bucks. But she really didn't give a shit, she just wanted to get away from Roger.

_Roger._

That asshole had accused her of cheating on Mark. On _Mark. _If he had known _anything_ about the couple in the first place, he would have realized that they were in love. The serious, butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of love. The mushy-gushy kind of love. The disgusting kind of love. The kind that you only see in the stupid chick-flicks. Andi had realized that it really wasn't all that stupid if you actually experience it. Andi loved it actually.

And Roger just had to go and fuck it up. _Mark probably hates me,_ she thought, and this led to more tears, and an eventually, her knees gave out. She located a bench and sat down. Then she cried. She hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed. She stayed like this for about five minutes, but felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a tall man in a long trench coat. She looked at him, scared shitless.

"You look like you could use some cheering up," he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. She quickly got up and ran away. _Thank God for college track and field,_ she thought to herself, and scurried onto another bench. She didn't even know where she was anymore. She just sat down and took out her sketchpad, flipping through until she found a picture of Mark. She traced over the outline of his face with her hand, sighing now and then.

"You know, that guy's pretty handsome," a familiar voice said from behind her. A smile crept onto her face, and she turned around. "Introduce me sometime, alright?" She saw Mark standing there, smiling that loopy smile of his. He sat down next to her and gave her a huge hug, pulling back only to look into her puffy red eyes.

"You were crying," he said. He didn't even ask. He just knew.

"Mark, you're going to think I'm such an idiot," Andi said, shaking her head. "When Roger yelled at me like that, I thought that you believed him as well. I thought that you would want to break up. And I couldn't take that. So I cried. And ran. And cried a lot more." Mark chuckled and wiped away a stray tear that was rolling down her cheek. They both shivered because of the wind, and Andi had no coat on. Mark took of his coat and draped it around her shoulders. He also took his scarf off and put it around her neck. She slipped the coat on and leaned on him, hugging him tight. He gently kissed her on the lips, but soon deepened the kiss. When they pulled away, they were both out of breath. They smiled at one another, then heard people yelling their names.

"Mark! Andi!" They turned around, and there was Mimi, running towards them. She plopped down next to Andi and squeezed her into a bear hug. Andi hugged her back, grateful to have her a s a friend. Roger came up to them, wheezing. Andi looked scared.

"Roger, are you alright?" she asked, getting up to help him. She sat him on the bench. "Do you need a doctor or something? Mimi, is he going to be okay?" Roger just looked at her with a surprised look on his face. When he finally caught his breath, he answered her.

"I'm fine. But why do you even care?" Roger asked, scratching his head. "I mean, I was such a jerk to you, which I'm totally sorry for by the way. But seriously, you should be beating the shit out of me for that, not caring about me." Andi hit him in the stomach. "What the fuck?"

"You kinda deserved that, man," Mark said, and Andi nodded. Mimi rubbed Roger's belly, but shot Andi a thumbs-up sign behind her back. Andi giggled, and Roger pouted. Once he got over the pain, he realized where they were.

"You guys," he said, "we're near the clinic. We could go now, you know." Mimi stood up and pulled Andi with her. Andi shot Mimi a what-the-hell look, and Mimi made believe she was praying. Praying, that is, to the angels. The _angels._ Andi got the message.

"Angel and Collins!" Andi said, running off. Mimi ran after her, trying to catch up. It was a good attempt, but Andi had long legs. And also had jeans on.

"Andi!" Mimi called to her friend, causing her to stop short. Andi turned around, waiting for Mimi to catch up. The friends linked arms, and began to walk to the loft. They were stopped short when two hands shot out from a nearby alley. One grabbed Andi, the other grabbed Mimi. The girls were slowly dragged into the alleyway, unable to pull away.

**A/N: heehee, cliffhanger. Kinda. Ah well, just review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I've been under the weather lately, that's why I haven't updated. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: do I really need to say it?**

_Andi and Mimi were stopped short when two hands shot out from a nearby alley. One grabbed Andi, the other grabbed Mimi. The girls were slowly dragged into the alleyway, unable to pull away._

Andi knew that Mimi was younger than her._ She could only be, what, sixteen? _Andi was thinking the entire time she was being pulled into the dark alley. _No, maybe nineteen. Yeah, nineteen tops. And I'm friggin twenty-nine! Mimi should get away as fast as possible. I hope, for mine and Mimi's sake, that this person is is a guy, because girls don't exactly have a _soft spot_, right? Okay, here goes nothing._

Andi kicked the person in the middle of the legs and Mimi learned two things at that moment. One: the person was a guy, and two: Andi could kick! The two girls heard a familiar shriek, and then immediately realized who the guy was. They dragged him onto the sidewalk and kneeled down next to him.

"Collins?" Andi said faintly, and he nodded. Both girls felt out of place, so they just stood off to the side awkwardly. Collins finally stood up, catching his breath. His face still looked slightly strained, but he did manage to wobble over to them. He pointed to Andi and gave her a surprised look, and an angry look at the same time.

"You," he said dangerously, "Must still be mad at me for that D+ paper of your's that I graded." Andi honestly didn't know what he was talking about, and had to think about it for a minute. She slowly remembered that was the reason that she couldn't get one of the student teaching gigs that she wanted, and flames danced in her eyes. Collins looked a bit worried.

"You forgot, didn't you," he said sheepishly, and she nodded. She jumped on him, knocking him onto the ground with a thud. He made a noise that sounded somewhat like "oomf" as she began to tickle him. Honestly, it was quite a sight: a small young woman causing a big tall man with an insanely deep voice to squeal and beg for mercy. Mimi shrieked with laughter, and was soon joined by Joanne and Maureen, who were on their way home.

"Collins, do we want to know?" Joanne asked, and Collins just replied with another shriek, until Maureen finally pulled Andi up onto her feet. It took the three women to hold Andi back from Collins, causing an eruption of giggles from behind them. Mark and Roger stood there, watching the entire thing. Andi turned around, and did so very quickly. This caused her nose to ram into Marks camera, which was documenting the entire process. She stumbled over to a building and leaned against it, her nose was throbbing. Mark thrust his camera into Joanne's hands and went over to Andi.

"You okay, Juju?" Mark asked Andi, and she whimpered. Meanwhile, Roger put a smirk on and strode over to the couple. Andi was leaning on the filmmaker while he was gently stroking her hair.

"Juju?" Roger asked, obviously amused. "What the hell's a Juju?" Andi stood up, on tiptoe, to reach the rocker's eye level.

"Well, since you asked," Andi said, a smirk developing on her face as well, "A Juju has two meanings. One, it's my nickname. And two, if you knew _anything_ about music in the first place, you'd know that juju is a type of music listened to in Africa and Nigeria." Roger look dumbstruck, while Maureen let out a low whistle. Just then Angel came skipping along. Okay, not skipping, but it's Angel. Angel _does_ happy stuff like that, you know?

"Hey!" she said, breathless, and went over to Collins. He snaked his arm around her waist. "You guys, I have the best news! I got us all appointments down at that free clinic over there. We can be cured by next week! Isn't that great?" Andi threw her hands up in the air, doing a happy dance. Collins began to kiss Angel on the lips furiously, and soon Maureen and Joanne were at it too. Roger and Mimi started next, leaving Mark and Andi.

Andi felt that they didn't need to kiss, they knew they were happy. Mark felt otherwise. He grabbed Andi's waist, pressing her to him. He kissed her on the lips, and she kissed him back. All four couples broke apart at almost the same time, not knowing what to do next.

"When are the appointments, chica?" Mimi asked Angel, breaking the silence. The rest of the group planted their eyes on Angel, as she read the appointments proudly.

"The first is Mimi, today," Angel read, and Mimi's eyes filled with tears. She gave her friend a hug, then went back to stand near Roger. "Next is Roger, also today. Added bonus for you two, you guys got the same hospital room!" Roger attempted not to cry as he hugged Angel, but tears soon flowed freely on his face.

"Thank you Angel," he whispered, "thank you so much."

Angel was touched that Roger was crying. Roger didn't cry. But now he was, and Angel smiled. "Aw, you're welcome honey," she said to him, wiping tears off his face. She continued with her list. "Next is Collins, and then me. I got everyone covered, right?" Andi then got a bit curious.

"Ang, why do you always put everyone before you? You're, like, the most generous person ever," Andi said, then thought a second. She added, "You know, you'd _so_ be my boyfriend if you were straight." Mark pretended to pout, and everyone laughed.

"Chica," Mimi said, wiping away her tears, "when can I go?" Angel looked at her watch, then up at Mimi.

"Now," Angel said calmly, but no one moved. She got annoyed and said, "Go now! Meems, your appointment is in five minutes! Roger, yours is in ten! GO!" Mimi began to run, so naturally the gang followed. Roger fell behind.

"Fuck you guys," he said, and tried to catch up to his (soon-to-be AIDSless) friends.

**A/N: alright, it's not that long. But I'm getting there! Reviews (and suggestions) help me a lot!!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: omg, guys, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! My computer got seriously fucked up, but I'm updating now! Sorrysorrysorrysorry! **

**Disclaimer::sniffle::**

**Another A/N: since I haven't updated in a while, I'll make this one extra long instead of breaking it up, like I should. Ah well, R&R.**

Mimi, Angel and Collins entered the clinic. Collins noted that it smelled like the hand soap that all of the serious doctors used. Since all of them had encountered this smell numerous times in various hospitals, they didn't enjoy it all that much. But they dealt with it, and went to sign Mimi in for her appointment.

Angel immediately located the front desk amongst the many people who were there. She dragged a slightly reluctant, yet happy, Mimi over. Collins waited outside for Roger, who was attempting to catch up to them while they ran. No one knew where Mark and Andi were. After about five minutes of standing in front of the desk, Angel was still not being acknowledged. She cleared her throat loudly, and the receptionist looked up.

"Hi," the woman said, standing up and extending her hand. Angel and Mimi each shook it in turn. She had long, black hair pulled into a tight ponytail, and she had a soft expression, although she looked only thirty or so. "I'm guessing you guys are here for the cure?" Angel pushed Mimi forward gently, and she stepped forward slightly.

"Uh, yeah," Mimi said quietly. "I'm, um, Mimi Marquez, and I have an appointment, like, now. So I was wondering if I could kind of, um, you know, get this overwith as soon as possible?" The receptionist nodded.

"My name is Janet Davis," she said, and Mimi looked up.

"Janet Davis?" Mimi asked, surprised. "You mean, Janet Davis, wife of Adam Davis? The guy who found the cure?" Janet nodded, blushing.

"Wow, hi! I've heard so much about you!" Mimi exclaimed, pulling Janet into a hug. When Janet pulled away and gave the dancer a confused look, Mimi laughed at herself. "Sorry, you must be kinda creeped out right now. I'm Roger's girlfriend. Roger _Davis_'s girlfriend." Janet's expression became less tense, and she nodded and smiled.

"Nice to finally meet you, Mimi," Janet said, then glanced at Angel. "What's your name?"

"Angel," said Angel. "Angel Dumott Schunard, to be exact. My appointment's tomorrow."

"Ah," Janet said, nodding. She seemed to be doing that a lot. "Well, anyway, I think we have Roger scheduled for an appointment today, as well. In fact, he should be here -"

"I'M HERE! I'M HALF DEAD, BUT I'M HERE!" a loud voice exclaimed from behind Mimi, and the three turned around. Mimi tried to stifle a laugh, Janet gave Roger an odd look, and Angel burst out laughing. Roger shot all of them, mostly Angel, though, a nasty look. He wheezed for about another minute and a half, or so, then began to talk.

"Hey Janet," he said, giving her a small hug. "How have you guys been? Adam doing okay? How are the kids?"

"Everything's just great, Roger," Janet said with a tiny hint of sarcasm lining her voice. "I mean, my husband put me here to organize this entire thing while he's off having his fifteen minutes of fame, the place is busy as Hell, and my kids both have the chicken pox. Everything's just peachy!" Mimi and Angel backed away slightly, but Roger just chuckled.

"You know, you haven't changed a bit," he said to her, still laughing. "You were always one to complain to the first person that you saw." Janet hit him in the arm, then got serious.

"Okay, sorry guys," she said, and they all laughed. "Anyway, I was wondering if you have any questions for me? About the cure?"

"I do," Mimi piped up. Janet smiled and nodded. "What's gonna happen to me in there?"

"It's a simple process," Janet said for what must have been the millionth time that day. "First, the doctor draws blood to see the condition that you're in. Next, depending on the condition, you get certain vaccinations. Each patient has to get five injections, then blood is drawn again. You're then hospitalized and kept overnight. An HIV test is administered in the morning, and there's a ninety-nine percent chance that it'll come out negative. Okay?"

"Five injections?" Mimi asked quietly, clinging to Roger for dear life. Janet nodded again, and Mimi whimpered. Roger pulled her into a hug, murmuring comforting things into her ear. She hugged him tightly, turned to Janet, and said she was ready.

She was about to be lead into the hospital room, but she heard her name. She turned around and saw Andi. She asked Janet for one more sec, and she ran over to Andi and Mark. Andi immediately bombarded the poor girl with questions while Mark kinda hung back.

"Listen, girl," Mimi said, grabbing Andi by the shoulders and shaking her. "I'll be fine. You can come see me tomorrow. And if I don't make it," she added dramatically, "marry Roger for me." Andi and Roger gave each other a sickened look. Andi embraced her friend tightly. Mark stepped forward and also gave Mimi a hug, whispering, "Andi's not gonna marry Roger for anything. She's mine." This made Mimi laugh, so she went on her way happily.

_Mimi's POV_

_Oh, my God, _I thought while walking to the white room, closely following Janet. _This place is so fucking scary. I'll be fine, though. I'll be fine. Just think -- Oh God, what do I think of? Shit, I'm gonna die. I'm so gonna die._

We finally arrived at the room. Janet turned to me and pulled me into a tight hug. "I don't do that to everybody," she said to me, sounding sincere. "You'll be fine, Mimi. I can see it in your eyes."

"That must be a Davis thing," I muttered, hugging her back. She looked as if she didn't understand. "A couple of years ago, I almost died. And Roger wrote a song for me, as a kind of motivation for living. It was about my eyes, believe it or not."

"That's so sweet," she said. "Are the two or you married? I mean I saw the ring..."

"Not yet," I said. "We want a summer wedding. And we also kinda want to be healthy."

"Oh," Janet said, "That's a smart idea. Well, I'm not allowed to be in here for too long. Ah, here's your doctor. Good luck and goodbye." Janet walked out, and another woman walked in. She had short red hair, about shoulder's length. Her nose was kind of big, and she had pale skin.

"Hi!" she said in a cheerful tone. "I'm Danielle Smith. Just call me Danielle please, I can't stand when people call me 'Dr. Smith' " I smiled at this, and nodded. God, Janet nodded so many times ... It was contagious.

"I'm Mimi. So, um, Danielle," I said quietly, "how long is this thing gonna take?"

"I'd say, maybe, half an hour all together," she replied, and I was shocked. I was _so_ shocked. I thought it would take forever. "So, are you ready to be poked and prodded for the next half hour?" I chuckled and nodded. I was going to kill Janet for the nodding thing.

"Here," Danielle said, taking out a needle for drawing blood. She prepared my arm for it, and then said, "Now, are you going to look?"

"Duh," I said, "I'm not a whimp." She laughed at this.

"I never said you were," she replied, but in a joking way. She pricked right near my elbow, but on the other side of the arm. I didn't even flinch, being the ex-heroin junkie that I am. Danielle took the needle out, and sealed the bag of blood.

"You were very brave, Mimi," she said to me in a fake baby voice. "Would you like a lollypop?" I pretended to eagerly nod. She chuckled and said she'd be right back. I sat back and sighed. I was a _little_ nervous about the five shots.

"OW!" I heard a familiar voice scream from across the hall. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" I laughed and peeked outside. There was Roger in the other room, with poor Danielle, getting blood drawn. He never had a problem with the smack, but he couldn't stand getting blood drawn. When she pulled the needle out, she handed him a piece of bubble gum, which he accepted like a baby. I really started laughing at that, and Roger saw me.

"I got gum!" he said gleefully, and I gave him a thumbs-up sign. I stepped back into my room and waited for Danielle. She came back in with five different syringes.

"You have a decent T-cell count," she said, and I smiled. "Decent. Not perfect. These aren't as bad as what we're going to have to give to the crybaby across the room. Man, that guy can scream! I had to give him gum to shut him up." I laughed and nodded.

"I know," I said, "he's a baby sometimes." Danielle looked at me, worried.

"Oh God, you know him?" she asked. I nodded.

"He's my fiance," I said, and she blushed. "Don't worry about it, though. You have every right to think he's a baby. He is." We laughed, then she gave me a sympathetic look.

"Are you ready? Because these things make people drowsy." I rolled my eyes and stuck out my arm. She gave me a look. "They didn't tell you?"

"Didn't tell me what?" I asked, getting worried. "What?"

"You don't get the shots in the arm," Danielle said, "You get them in different places."

"Which are?"

"Uh, well, you get one in each arm. The others are your, um, your..."

"My ass?"

"That's one," she said, sounding relieved that she didn't have to say it. "The others are your thigh and your shoulder. Don't ask me why. Now, which do you want first?"

I smirked. "My ass and my thigh." She smirked right back.

"You know," she said, "I haven't had one patient today that didn't want the one in the ass or the thigh first. It's not new to me," she added. I rolled my eyes and pulled down my skirt. She administered the shots quickly, but my ass was sore as hell afterward.

"Do you want the arms next?" she asked, and I nodded. She administered those quickly, too, but I still felt really tired afterward. She finally injected my shoulder.

Right before I fell asleep, I heard Roger's yelp from across the hall.

**A/N: Well?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: ok, here's the story of why I haven't updated (I swear to God, it's true): my computer crashed, I had to bring it to the store, it took forever to get fixed, and when I finally got it back, I got major writer's block. But now I'm good. Except this chapter sucks. I'm looking for ideas, so write some in your reviews! If you review, that is. So please review!**

**Disclaimer: why even say it?**

In the morning, Mimi woke up feeling a little dizzy. She opened her eyes to see two things: one, Roger snoring on the hospital bed next to her own. The second thing caught her attention a bit more, though.

It was a white envelope next to her bed, dropped lazily onto the small night table. It was labeled "Marquez, Mimi." It looked an awful lot like her first HIV test. Realizing this, she snatched it off the table and tore it open. When she read it over, her eyes filled with tears, and she let out the loudest scream ... well, ever.

_**linelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline**_

"Mark, get the fucking camera out of my face," Andi hissed at her boyfriend. Then she added seductively, "But it would be perfectly fine if _you_ were on my face." Mark put his camera down and began to kiss Andi. Collins chuckled and took a drag off of his cigarette. The rest of the gang had no idea how people let him smoke in a hospital, but hey. Joanne and Maureen weren't there, it was 8:50 AM. They promised to be there by nine, though.

"I don't know how you guys can even do that right now," Angel said nervously to Mark and Andi. Her perfectly painted nails were bitten down to small stubs, and her wig was askew. (That was from making out with Collins earlier in the bathroom, but that was different. He made her) Her feet were killing her because she had been pacing for the past two and a half hours, but it seemed like she couldn't stop, no matter how hard she tried. "What if it's positive? What if it didn't work? God, I don't know what I'll do if I'm negative and she's positive. Mimichica won't be able to handle that. I need to find out soon!"

One important thing to know about Angel is that she's a very determined person. When she wants something, she works for it, no matter how long it takes her to do. In this case, it was Mimi she wanted to see, so she flagged down the first person she saw to get some answers. The woman flinched when Angel nearly jumped on top of her, but she stuck around nonetheless.

"Hey, Miss," Angel said, "I was wondering if I could see my friend?" The woman gave Angel a weary smile.

"You're, um, you're Angel, right?" Angel nodded. "Janet Davis. And your friend, is, uh, Mimi? Roger Davis's girlfriend?" Another nod. "Yeah, sure. I'm sure they'll be very happy to-"

Janet couldn't finish her sentence. A scream was heard coming from Mimi's room. All of the bohemians heard it. Mark and Andi broke apart, falling behind the rest of the group who were already running towards Mimi's room. Angel was the first to barge in.

"Mimi!" she screamed, throwing the door open. The dancer was sitting on the bed crying her eyes out. She was clutching the test results so hard her knuckles were white. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry. I'm sure they'll let you redo the shots. You'll get rid of it." Angel noticed that Mimi was still crying, and was kind of just staring into space. "Girl, are you listening? Say something!" And she did. She said one word that made the rest of the bohemians cry as well.

"Negative." Everyone hugged everyone else in turn. They all sat around Mimi, talking to her furiously about everything she would do now that she's negative. It was a very peaceful moment until Roger snored loudly. Andi rolled her eyes.

"You know," she said, "I think he should be up for the celebration. Mimi, go wake your boyfriend up." Andi gave her friend a wink, and Mimi smiled. The dancer got up quietly and sat on Roger's bed. This caused another loud snore. Mimi leaned over his face and gave him a teasing kiss on the mouth.

"Oh, Teddykins, I love you too," Roger mumbled, and the gang burst out laughing. Roger awoke to that, and sat up slowly. He scratched his messy hair, and looked around. "Mimi?" he asked, seeing her tearstained face. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah," Mimi said between giggles. "So, um, Rog, how's Teddykins?" Roger gave her a look, then slowly took in what she said. He blushed a bright shade of pink that almost out-blushed _Mark_. The rest of the people in the room laughed again, and Roger just rolled his eyes. A nurse walked in and handed Roger an envelope. She smiled a tiny smile at him, and then left. The envelope looked an awful lot like the envelope Mimi received earlier. No one said anything for about five minutes. Then Andi spoke up.

"Open it, you dumb-ass."

Roger flipped her off and then slowly opened the envelope. Before he pulled out the paper, though, he went into the small bathroom. You could hear a pin drop it was so quiet. All of them barely breathed, they were anticipating Roger's reaction to his results. (Which they didn't know, and wanted to very much)

Everyone heard a scream, and the door opened. Roger ran to Mimi and pushed her onto the bed, kissing her like crazy. He pulled away, and smiled at the rest of the group.

"I'm negative!" he said breathlessly. The rest of them cheered, then the second round of hugs began. Once they were all seated, Maureen came in. Her face was stained with tears, and her eyes were big and puffy. No one had time to ask.

"You guys better be negative," Maureen said quickly, plopping down next to Andi on the floor. She looked expectantly at Mimi, and the small Latina nodded. Maureen jumped up and gave her a hug. The drama queen turned to Roger, and the rocker nodded. She squealed and did a little victory dance. When she tried to moonwalk she tripped over Andi's feet and fell onto Mark's lap. She just giggled.

"Mo, are you high or something?" Mark asked. Maureen just giggled more. "And could you get off of my lap? I have a girlfriend, you know." Maureen jumped up off of his lap, clenching her fists.

"FUCK YOU, MARK COHEN!!" she screamed, and Mark looked kinda scared. "My God, so I want to sit on your lap for a little while. _Big fucking deal!_ I thought we were friends, man! But no, now you hate me"

"We..we are friends, Maureen," Mark said shakily. "And Maureen, I couldn't hate you if I tried." Then Maureen shrugged and sat down.

"Okay," she said. Everyone was kind of confused about that, and no one really talked.

Just then, Joanne walked in, rushing over to Mimi. The two kind of had a mother-daughter relationship going on: Mimi sometimes talked to Joanne when she was having trouble with stuff. Joanne had that maternal thing going on where she could see what was up with Mimi. In this case, Joanne could tell what was going on from Mimi's gigantic smile. They immediately hugged.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy for you," Joanne said as she pulled away. "Roger, you haven't stormed out of the hospital room yet, so you're negative?" Roger nodded and Joanne gave him a quick hug. She then went over to Maureen and grasped her hand.

"Did you tell them, Honeybear?" the lawyer asked her girlfriend, and Maureen shook her head sheepishly. "Guys, I'm sorry about the way Maureen was probably just acting. She can't really help it."

"Why is she acting that way, though?" Roger asked. The rest of the group looked at Joanne for an answer. She ran her hands through Maureen's curly hair.

"Here's a hint," she said happily. "She'll be acting like this for the next eight or nine months." Joanne slung an arm over Maureen's shoulders, and waited for the news to sink in. Angel was the first to get the hint. She ran over to Maureen and rubbed her tummy. She then gave the couple a huge hug.

"I don't get it," Roger whined. Mimi got it, though. She screamed and ran over to the two girls. Pretty soon, everyone except Roger was hugging and talking excitedly to either Maureen or Joanne. When Joanne realized that Roger wasn't there with them, she sat on the bed he was resting in.

"Honey," she said gently. She was trying to figure out a way to tell Roger Maureen's big news without making him feel like a total idiot. "You know what nine months can mean?" Roger shrugged an shook his head.

"I'm pregnant, stupid!" Maureen shouted, then Roger blushed again. Man, the rocker was giving Mark a run for his money! Roger got out of the bed and gave Maureen a hug.

"How long?" he asked in her ear as she hugged him.

"A couple months, give or take," Maureen said back. She pulled away and faced him. "God, Rog, you're negative. No more AIDS. Are you and Mimi going to have kids?"

"God, no," Mimi said, walking over and intwining her fingers with Roger's. "I don't want kids running around my house right now. Maybe in the future, but not now." Roger nodded, and Maureen shrugged. Angel and Collins gave everyone hugs, and then went off to their appointments.

"Good luck!" Roger called, then went over to Joanne. "Hey, Jo, how'd you get her pregnant?"

"Sperm donor," Joanne replied, and Roger nodded, looking slightly relieved. The rest of them crowded around the two. "If you were thinking that _I _did _that_, then _you_ need a lesson in biology." Everyone chuckled a bit. Well, everyone except Roger.

"Hey, wait a sec! What's biology?"


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: omg, I haven't updated in forever! Sorry, I was working on another fic! Whoopsies. Anyhoodles, read and review!

Disclaimer: I don't now, and probably never will.

Another A/N: set about two months after the last chapter. All of the bohemians are now AIDS-less! (I didn't want to explain the cure all over again from Angel or Collins's POV, kinda a waist of time, you know?)

Maureen waddled into the loft (due to her big baby belly) with Joanne by her side. The lawyer sat her girlfriend down on the couch carefully, not wanting her to fall. Collins and Angel soon walked in as well. Mark was sitting on the chair, filming the crappy couch since he had no one to be with. (Andi hadn't come yet)

"Do you guys have any beef jerky?" Maureen asked. "Cause I could really go for some of that stuff right now. And extra salt on it. With some apple juice."

"If you weren't pregnant, I'd hit you," Mark mumbled. He put on his coat and ran outside to the grocery store. When Maureen asked you for something she was craving at any particular time, everyone knew to get it. Last time Collins tried to get out of giving Maureen his soda, she took it anyway and poured it all over his head.

"Why are we here, Pookie?" Maureen whined. "I'm so bored. And I'm fat."

"Honeybear, you're not fat," Joanne said, "you're pregnant. And we're here because Mimi is modeling her wedding dress."

"Which I made!" Angel exclaimed. It was then that Andi barged into the loft. She was out of breath, her clothes were stained by paint, and she had beef jerky in her hand. She was eating it, but eventually had to give it up to Maureen.

"Sorry I'm late, you guys," she panted. "I was painting at my apartment and kind of lost track of time. Has Mimi showed everyone yet? And, Angel?"

"Yeah?""I designed that dress and you know it," Andi said playfully. She sat down on the floor in front of Joanne, because if she sat in front of Maureen, the diva would probably kick her.

"I'M READY!" Mimi's voice boomed from the other room, startling the gang a bit. Andi rolled her eyes.

"WELL IF YOU'RE READY, COME ON OUT THEN!" she yelled to her friend.

"FINE!"

"HEY!" Roger shouted from the same room as Mimi. "I have to be the announcer for my fiance. So," he cleared his throat and walked outside, "and now, ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you..." He was unable to finish, though.

"I got the jerky, Maureen!" Mark shouted. He flew into the loft, tripped over Andi, landed with a thud on the floor, got back up and handed Maureen her beef jerky.

"That's okay, Marky, I'm full," she said happily, and let out a little burp. "Thanks anyway. Do you have the juice?" Wordlessly, Mark handed Maureen a big gallon-sized thing of apple juice. He sat down next to Andi and draped his arm around her shoulders. She patted his head sympathetically.

"GODDAMIT, MARK!" Mimi yelled, still hiding in the other room. "I NEED TO SHOW OFF MY SEXY DRESS! SO LET ME!" Angel rolled her eyes. She got up, went into the other room, and dragged Mimi out. Everyone let out simultaneous gasps.

"Oh my God, Mimi." Joanne was the first to speak. She got up and gave Mimi a hug, then stepped back to admire the dress. "You look beautiful, sweetie." And she did. The dress was exactly how Andi and Angel planned it: there was a low collar with lace, exposing just enough. The knee-high length of the dress really worked for Mimi, it showed off her legs. And it was tight at the chest and the waist, flattering all of her curves.

"Oh, Mimi, I hate you," Maureen whined. "You're not fat." Mimi chuckled. Everyone got a turn to look at her, and then she wanted to take her dress off.

"I don't want to ruin it," she explained. "And he," she jabbed a thumb in Roger's direction, "can't see me in it for too long. He's already drooling." Roger shook his head and wiped at his mouth.

"Am not," he mumbled. Everyone laughed. Except Maureen, who was busy chugging the apple juice. She had spilled half of it down her shirt, but she was still going. Mark realized that he just had to get that on film, so he began to tape her. Once she was done, she let out a large belch. Again, there was laughter. Maureen scowled.

"I'm feeding, and drinking, for two," she stated. "So you all shut up." They all did, and Mimi went to change her clothes. Naturally, Roger went with her. Andi began to scrub her hands with tissues, and Angel and Collins were talking about who-knows-what. This gave Joanne time to pull Mark aside; she needed to talk to him about Mimi and Roger's wedding.

"I really want to help you guys out," she said. "I mean, I'm winning so many cases, and you still have your Buzzline job. Roger's been out of work for God knows how long, and Mimi quit the CatScratch. Please?" Mark shrugged.

"It's really none of my business, Jo," he said. "You gotta ask Roger and Meems. But if it was my business, then I'd say no. You guys are expecting a friggin' baby! Those things cost a fortune. Go talk to them, Joanne."  
Joanne nodded and disappeared into the other room. Mark started to talk to Andi, and Maureen started to cry. Angel looked up and rushed over to her.

"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked the drama queen. Maureen just sobbed more. Angel gave her a hug and rubbed her back. When she calmed down, Angel asked what happened again.

"I miss Joanne," Maureen sniffled. "Where'd she go? Where's my Pookie? Did she leave me for that secretary of hers? Jane? Or did she turn bi and run off with her dentist? She had an appointment yesterday, and the guy was hot and funny! Oh, God, I miss her so much!" That was when Joanne walked out from the other room. Maureen's face brightened. "JOANNE, YOU'RE BACK!" She struggled to get up, and when she managed to, she threw her arms around the lawyer. Joanne was somewhat startled, but hugged her back anyway.

"Oh, Baby, I didn't go anywhere," Joanne said. "I was talking to Mimi and Roger. We're going to help them with the wedding, okay? Do you want to do that?" Maureen nodded like a small three-year-old.

"Oh, yeah!" she screamed. "Where's it happening? When can I start? What color invitations should there be? Is there a limo? Because I think limos rock. They rock my socks! And I'm wearing pink socks! PINK! Mimi should have pink flowers! And red and purple. And the church should be big and beautiful and we all should make speeches!" Mimi had been standing at the door, and found Maureen's speech fairly amusing. She walked over to the diva and sat down next to her.

"You can help, Mo," she said happily, and Maureen clapped. "We have over a month to prepare. What is it, six weeks until the date?"

"Six weeks, five days and seven hours," Roger said. He sat down next to Mimi. "But who's counting, right?" They kissed lightly, and Mimi pulled away.

"SIX WEEKS?!" she shouted. "OH GOD, WE HAVE TO START PLANNING!" She dragged all of the girls into the bedroom, and they started to plan. This left the guys to do nothing. (A/N: Sound familiar? Chapter something-or-other, when Mimi made the guys get tuxedos, or something. I'm a horrible author if I don't remember that, but oh well."

"Close on Roger," Mark narrated as he filmed Roger. "He is so desperate to get married to his girlfriend, that he is counting up to the date by the second. Thirty-nine, thirty-eight, thirty-seven..."

"Oh, shut your ass up, Mark," Roger said in a joking manner. "I love Meems, and I want to marry her! At least I'm not too chicken to even ask her!"

"Wait, man, you were going to ask Andi to marry you?" Collins asked Mark. The filmmaker blushed.

"I - I don't think that she'd say yes," Mark mumbled. He looked up at the philosopher. "I mean, come on, man, it's boring, plain old me. No one wants me."

"Uh. Dude. Have you seen your girlfriend's house?" Mimi walked out of the room. She needed a break from the massive planning process. "It is plastered with pictures of you. I mean, she's made this amazing painting of you filming random pigeons, but she makes you look really good! She loves you, man!"

"But, I really, um, I don't think that," Mark stuttered. He scratched his head. "I don't know. I'll think about it. Tell everyone I'm editing some stuff. No one bother me." He grabbed his camera and projector and went into his room. The door slammed, and Andi walked out.

"What's up with him?" she asked. Secretly, she had been listening the entire time, and was flattered that Mark thought to ask her to marry him, and also slightly pissed that Mimi gave away her Mark shrine secret. Oh well.

"He's just editing together some of his film crap," Roger said. "Don't bug him."

"That's what he said?" Andi asked.

"No," Mimi said, shooting a nasty glance at Roger. "He said to not let anyone bother him. So don't interrupt, please." Andi nodded and stepped back into the room, followed by Mimi. This left Roger and Collins together in the "living room."

"Hey, Rog," Collins said after a long silence.

"Yeah?"

Collins smiled mischievously. "Wanna get drunk?" He pulled out a bottle of Stoli from his pocket and waved it in front of Roger's face.

"Yeah!" 


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: so, in this chapter, Mo's about five months pregnant. Oh, day before wedding. And sorry it's short!**

**Warning: Colorful language used by a soon-to-be bride who shall remain nameless for the time being.**

**Disclaimer: I just saw it, but I don't own it. OMG I JUST SAW RENT! GAAAAH!**

Mimi was sitting nervously on the Angel's couch; Collins was out. Mimi just knew that everything was going to be a disaster. Roger had gotten drunk a few weeks ago, and wrote _Roger Davis, Sex God_ on the back of his tuxedo. It wouldn't come off. Maureen was growing so fast that she had already gone through three bridesmaids dresses, all different colors. And Joanne...well, she was Joanne. Mark had been very vague lately, almost as if he wasn't here. This upset Andi, causing her to be less enthusiastic about the wedding.

"Chica?" Angel had come into the room with two sodas. She handed one to Mimi and settled herself in an armchair. She opened her soda, took a long drink, and burped quietly. "Meems, you okay?" Mimi kind of half-nodded. She opened her soda and took a sip.

"Root beer?" the dancer asked. She gave Angel a look, and the drummer raised an eyebrow. "What, are we in the fourth grade?" Angel shrugged and swapped sodas with Mimi. The small Latina took another sip and rolled her eyes. "Gimee back my root beer! I hate grape soda, dammit!" Angel tsk-tsked.

"Girl, are you PMSing?" she asked. "Because you're being very moody. Oh my God, Mimi, are you pregnant?" Mimi giggled and shook her head. Angel still looked confused. "Wait, you're not PMSing, or you're not pregnant?"

"Neither, you idiot," Mimi said, playfully punching Angel in the arm. "I'm a fucking bundle of nerves, if you must know. I'm getting married tomorrow! And my groom thinks he's the all powerful sex God, who just had to write it on the back of his friggin' tux! In permanent shit!" Angel laughed.

"He wrote he was a _sex God_ on the back of his tux?" Angel asked. She shook her head and massaged her temples. "Are you kidding? You're going to be in a church!" Mimi gave her friend a look as if to say _You're telling me. _Angel honestly didn't know what to say, so she stayed quiet.

"Hey, Ang," Mimi said quietly. Angel looked up from her root beer (that she still hadn't given back to Mimi) and smiled. Mimi didn't smile back. "You gotta help me tomorrow. You're my maid of honor, and if I faint right there in church, I need you--"

Mimi couldn't finish. There was a loud knocking on the door, and it startled both girls. Angel stood up to get it, but the person barged right in. Andi looked around, located her friends, and ran over. She plopped down on the couch and placed her head in her hands. Soon, she was shaking violently, and Angel placed a hand on her back.

"Honey, what is it?" she asked. She pulled Andi to her, giving the small girl a hug. Her paint-stained shirt got Angel's blouse dirty, but she really didn't mind. Andi still shook, but soon calmed down. When she looked up, her cheeks were red and tear stained. Mimi wiped off a tear.

"Oh, Andi, what happened?" she asked, rubbing her friend's back soothingly. "What is it? Are you nervous about the wedding too?" Andi shook her head. "Are you mad that you're not my maid of honor?"

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm crying," she said. She then let out a bitter laugh, causing Mimi and Angel to flinch. "I just thought I loved him, you know?" Mimi shared a confused look with Angel. They were both thinking the same thing. _Mark?_

"Alright, chica, what'd he do?" Angel asked, standing up. She started to do jumping jacks, and Andi just gave her a weird look. "I work out every day, and I'll kick his ass if I have to. Seriously, let me at him. I'll kill him." Andi shook her head, pulling Angel down next to her.

"You don't get to beat him up, missy. I do," Andi said. Mimi and Angel both desperately wanted to hear what happened, and Andi could see it in their eyes. So she nodded, took a shaky breath, and began. "I was painting, right? Mark called me up, and told me to get my ass over to the loft. So I put down my stuff, and ended up spilling paint all over myself." Mimi chuckled, but Andi still looked sad. "I didn't care, I really wanted to see him. I run over, and...he...Mark, he had..."

She didn't finish. Sobs overcame her small body. Mimi, who had forgotten her nerves, was quick to give her a comforting hug, which Andi relaxed into. She pulled away and pulled her knees to her chest. "I'm sorry, I'll finish. I didn't knock, I just came in. And when I came in, I saw Mark on the couch. Hugging and laughing with a girl. And they both had this loopy expression on their face. I just ran, because I didn't want to interrupt anything." Angel's eyes grew wide. She stood up, grabbing her platform shoes and purse.

"I'm gonna kill her!" the drag queen shouted. Mimi stood up too, ready to assist Angel in any way she could. Before they left, Andi pulled them back.

"No, that's the problem," Andi said. "You can't kill her!" Angel snorted, and Mimi's eyes widened.

"Why not?"

"It was Maureen."

**A/N: heh. Cliffie if you squint. Gah, R&R.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: haha, I'm not the best at cliffhangers. Ah, well, this chapter isn't too good, either. But R&R anyway! Heh, apparently I'm not too good at advertising...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. It belongs to J.L. (RIP)**

Mimi went to Andi, who had begun to cry again. Angel was pacing as she rubbed her head. "Maureen? Andi, are you sure?"

"Angel, no one else has a stomach the size of a football stadium," Andi replied. When Angel gave her a skeptical look, Andi just sighed. "She was eating pickles and peanut butter, okay?" Angel sighed. It _was_ Maureen.

"Maybe she was happy about something," Mimi said desperately. Both her and Angel hated seeing Andi like this, and were trying to cheer her up. "Maybe she was just telling Mark? God, Andi, do you want a tissue?" Andi accepted the tissue gratefully and blew her nose loudly. Once she was done she grabbed the grape soda off of the table that Mimi hadn't finished.

"Can I have this?" she asked, and Mimi nodded. Andi gulped the whole thing down and wiped her eyes. "My God, I'm so pathetic. I don't even like grape soda." They shared a laugh, and Angel sat down, giving Andi another hug. Mimi gently placed a hand on Andi's shoulder.

"Andi, Honey, listen to me," she said. Andi looked up, and Mimi smiled. "I bet that Mark wasn't doing anything with Maureen. I mean, he loved her for so long after she dumped him, and he hasn't had another girlfriend since, but now that --" Angel shushed her. Andi had started to cry again. "I didn't help much, did I?" Andi shook her head and wiped her tears.

"I need to stop. I really need to stop," she said. Then someone knocked on the door. Andi stood up. "I'm not here, okay you guys?" She bolted into Angel's room and then Mark stepped in. Angel had to hold Mimi back from hitting him as he sat down on the couch. Mark found this somewhat odd and decided to sit on an armchair instead.

"Is Andi here?" he asked. He looked down and cracked his knuckles, something he did when he was nervous. Andi, of course, heard all of that. She didn't cry, but she was close to it. "I wanted to tell her something. I've been keeping it a secret for a while now, but I think it's finally time --"

"THAT'S IT!" Mimi screamed. She broke free of Angel's grasp and jumped on Mark. She began hitting him repeatedly until Angel pulled her off. "No! No, Angel, don't you get into this! He's a fucking bastard!" Andi heard. She heard and she cried.

"What? Mimi, what the fuck?" Mark stood up and straightened his clothes. Andi came out of the room, and Mark smiled. He waved, and she slapped him across the face. He was too surprised to do or say anything.

"How could you, Mark?" Andi hissed. Her tears were falling freely, and she really didn't care. Mark was so hurt to see her cry, and he didn't even know what he did! "Mark, I thought you loved me! But no!"

"Andi, I don't get it," Mark said pathetically. "I know this sounds really cliche, but what are you talking about?" Andi rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe him.

"I saw, and heard, you and Maureen!" Mark's eyes widened.

"You heard what I said?" Mimi was fighting to get free of Angel so hard, but she wouldn't let go. Andi nodded. Mimi finally gave up, tired.

"What did you guys say, Mark?" Angel asked. She was trying to keep a flat tone, but everyone could hear the anger in her voice. When Mark tried to open his mouth, Andi was quick to interrupt.

"What did they say? You want to know what they said?" She was furious. She was shaking. But she kept talking. "They were hugging and cuddling when I came in. They didn't see me, so I just stayed frozen to the spot for a bit. Then I finally heard Maureen say something.

" 'You're definitely not going to regret this.' That's what she said, then Mark gave her the biggest hug, and all she did was giggle. Then_ Mark_ went on to say something.

" He goes, 'I know. I think that I'm the happiest man alive.' Then I bolted. So, Mark, if you and Maureen are happy together, I'm going to go. I'll see you around." She ran out of the door, grabbing her keys on the way out. Mark sighed and sat down. He put his head in his hands and just stayed like that for a while. Mimi went over to him.

"Mark?" He stood up and moved to the other side of the room, by Angel.

"Listen, Mimi, if you're going to hit me again --" Mimi shook her head. He carefully sat down on the couch, and then Mimi sat down next to him. Angel came over as well, placing a comforting hand on Mark's shoulder. And then, for the first time in a _while_, Mark cried. "I can't believe this! Why does this stuff always happen to me?"

"Mark, Hon, it'll be okay," Angel said. "Andi's going to be at the wedding tomorrow. If you don't see her by then, talk to her there. What was Maureen doing..." Mark shook his head.

"If you're thinking I cheated on Andi, you're dead wrong," he stated firmly. He got up and wrapped his scarf around his neck, throwing his jacket on. "Listen, I gotta go. I'm going to find her..."

He ran out the door, leaving Mimi and Angel in one of the most confused states of their lives.

"Angel?" Mimi asked after a long silence.

"Hmm?"

"Can I have my root beer back?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey, guys. Quick update. Maybe not quick, but whatever.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Rent! But I own Andi. So if y'all try to use her character, I'll sue the pants off of you!**

"Why did she do track and field in high school?" Mark muttered to himself. He had been walking the New York City streets for hours, searching high and low for Andi. Mark had tears streaming down his face half of the time. Not realizing it, Andi did too.

She was at her small apartment, painting. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get Mark out of her head. His face appeared on the canvas each time she tried to paint something. _I can't believe him,_ kept running through her mind. And she didn't believe him. She couldn't wrap the concept of Mark and Maureen around her brain.

"Maybe if I call her," Andi mumbled. She put down her paint and went over to her small, shitty couch. She picked up the phone next to it and curled up on the pillows. She dialed and waited. And waited. And waited.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

On the fourth ring, _she_ picked up. "Talk to me." Andi took a deep breath, but her voice got caught in her throat. "Hello? Anyone on the other line?" Still, Andi managed nothing. "Listen, I was in the middle of some really good peanut butter and cheese, so I'm gonna hang up --"

"Maureen!" Andi squeaked. "It's me, Andi. Listen, I have to tell you --" But Maureen did the weirdest thing. She screamed. What was the weird part, was that it sounded like a happy scream. _Happy?_ Andi thought. _Why? So she can rub it in my face that she has Mark?_

"Oh my _God,_ Andi! Congratulations!" Maureen gushed. Andi nearly burst into tears. She gripped the phone so tight that her knuckles turned white. And she yelled.

"What do you mean congratulations, Maureen?" she shouted. "I heard what you and Mark were saying in the loft earlier! How could you, Maureen?" Maureen was silent on the other line. "Maureen, say something!"

"You heard?" she said meekly. Andi's face turned red.

"EVERY FUCKING WORD!" Andi screamed. "Maureen, I knew I should have listened to everyone! You're a fucking cheater!" Maureen gasped.

"You think I cheated on Joanne with Mark?" she asked. Meanwhile, Andi had begun to cry. "Why would I do something stupid like that?"

"_Maureen, _you don't get it!" Andi cried. She nearly dropped the phone, and didn't hear Mark slip in quietly, watching every move she made. "Mark was everything to me! I think that he was the first man that I _ever_ fell in love with. And you have to go and screw it up. Thanks a lot!" Maureen sighed, nearly laughing out loud.

"Andi, you have to listen to me. Don't say anything, just let me talk." Maureen paused for a minute, but Andi was quiet. She wanted to hear. "I was _not_ cheating on Joanne. Mark was _not_ cheating on you. I came to the loft because I was bored when Pookie was at work."

"Maureen, that still --"

"Shush! Don't talk, I'm not done." Andi sighed and quieted down. "I was laughing over something that he said to me once, and he decided to tell me some really big news. Andi, he was going to ask you to marry him."

She dropped the phone. She dropped it, picked it up, said a quick goodbye to Maureen, and danced. She jumped up and danced. She danced with her eyes closed, then bumped into Mark. Without thinking, she socked him, afraid he was some kind of stalker man. When she opened her eyes and saw Mark, her hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh, crap, Mark." She helped him onto his feet and over to the couch. His mouth had begun to swell, and she got him ice. Once he was settled, she sat next to him. "Listen, man, I'm really sorry. I just hope that --"

"Marry me?" He didn't mean to blurt it out like that. It just happened. He blushed immediately after saying it. They both looked at each other quietly, not really knowing what to say. "You don't have to --"

"Mark." She smirked and took his hand. "I'm not an idiot. I love you." She smiled and gave him a passionate kiss, but soon broke away. She wrapped him in a hug, and whispered, "Of course I'll marry you." She pulled away, and he handed her a box.

"I know I'm supposed to be down on one knee and shit, but I think _you_ should open this." She pulled open the box and took out a golden ring. It had one diamond on it, but it was the most beautiful thing that Andi had ever seen. She had wet eyes, but she honestly didn't care. Her arms found their way around him again, and they sat and hugged for a long time.

A ringing phone startled them. Andi groaned and screened the call.

_Hey, Andi here. Well, not really. If I was, then I'd be answering the phone. Since I'm not, I'll let you leave a message. Adios. _

"Andi! This is the thirty-seventh message in the hour!" Mimi's desperate voice was on the other line. Andi giggled. "Girl, you better answer the phone. Is Mark there? Did you guys hook up yet? Chica, I'm gonna kick your little ass if you don't --"

Andi ran up to get the phone, but ended up tripping. The phone table came down with her, and she was talking to Mimi with one foot under her couch.

"What do you want?...Yeah, he's here...Mimi, you have a _sick_ mind...I just fell! That's why I'm out of breath...You don't believe me?...Stop being sarcastic...Mimi, dammit...I'll come over in fifteen minutes...Yeah, I'd rather be spending time with him...No, I _said_ I'd come...Fine, fine, fifteen minutes...No, not ten, fifteen...Mimi, do you _want_ me to come?...I thought so...Okay, see you later...No, Meems, I have to get off of the...Bye, Mimi." Andi hung up the phone quickly and went to cuddle with Mark.

"She's a piece of work," he said. It came out muffled because he had his face buried in her hair. _It always smells like apples,_ he thought. _Apples and paint._ Andi snorted at his comment.

"You're telling me," she said. She got up and got out a small backpack. "I'm really sorry. I have to head over there. She'll kill me. But you can come, if you want! Angel and Collins will be there." Mark smiled but shook his head. He went over to her and gave her a kiss.

"Sorry, And, I'm working on something." He held up his camera and she nodded. He gave her one more kiss before saying, "See ya later, Andi Cohen." She smiled and giggled. He waved, she waved, and she began to throw stuff in her bag. More than once, she stopped to admire her ring.

Andi slung her backpack over her shoulder and jogged over to Angel's place, where Mimi asked her to come. She ran up the stairs because she was already ten minutes late. Andi threw open the door after shoving the hand with the ring on it in her pocket. Angel looked up and immediately asked a million questions.

"ANGEL! Is Andi here?" Mimi's voice could be heard from the other room, and she scurried out. The small dancer hugged Andi and led her to the couch. "Chica, did he break up with you? Are you together? Did you dump him? Ay dios mio, details, details, details!" Andi giggled. "Andi Larthson --" Andi shushed her.

"Nope." Mimi and Angel shared a confused look. "You dumbasses, my names Andi Cohen!"

**A/N: take a guess at where I came up with Andi's old last name. I bet you'll never figure it out. Review, people, review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: you guys, please dont kill me! my laptop got busted, and it took practically a week to fix! here's an update, i'm soooo sorry!! I tried to make this long...**

**Disclaimer: just no.**

"No, Andi, did you forget your own last name?" Mimi asked the painter. She led them all over to the couch, and they began to talk. "Your last name is Larthson. Cohen is Mark's last --" Mimi paused as she put two and two together. Her eyes widened and she screamed a happy (loud) scream. "ANDI, YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!" Angel hugged and congratulated her.

"Meems, you're getting married, too," Andi stated. Mimi stopped screaming and sat down. She curled up on the couch and began to mumble things in Spanish, causing Angel to make various wincing faces. Andi gave Angel a look and asked, "What's up with her?" Angel sighed.

"She thinks tomorrow's going to be a disaster," the drag queen stated. "Roger wrote disgusting things on his tux, Maureen's going to be moody as hell, and Mark's been really out of it lately." Andi sympathetically hugged the soon-to-be Mrs. Davis. The girls sat for a little while until Andi remembered that she had something to cheer Mimi up.

"Oh, yeah," Andi muttered. She grabbed her backpack and dug through it until she found her sketchpad. She flipped through it quickly, trying to find the picture she sketched for Mimi. Once she landed on the right page, she handed the book to her friend. Mimi's eyes went from nervous to happy. Andi grinned. "Ya like it?" Mimi nodded, handing the picture to Angel.

"Andi, how'd you find the time?" Mimi asked. "That's the church for tomorrow. _I've_ only seen it once. And how did you know we'd look like that?" Andi shrugged. She had been secretly sketching that church once a day, everyday. Once she secured how it looked, she threw her friends into the picture. Mixed together, she got Mimi's wedding. Mimi smiled and gave her friend a warm hug.

"Um, Meems, I have the painting at home," Andi said. "That's your wedding gift. A painting." She laughed nervously. "Sorry I can't get ya anything better." Mimi gasped playfully.

"You know what, Ms. Andi Lar -- uh, Cohen? Just for that, you're uninvited." The girls began to laugh just as Collins walked through the door. He smiled at Andi and Mimi after giving Angel a sweet kiss.

"What's new, y'all?" he asked. The philosopher settled himself onto a chair and took out a book. When no one answered him, he rolled his eyes. "What? Did I say something?" Andi got up to show him her ring. He inspected it and nodded. "That's nice. Where'd you get it?" Andi hit him on the shoulder.

"For a professor, you're kinda stupid," she said. "Mark gave me this ring." Collins nodded and began to read, completely unaware of the situation. After about five minutes of silence, he could feel all eyes on him.

"Alright, what did I do now?" he asked. He got up and looked at the ring again. "So Mark gave her a ring? What's that supposed to --" He looked up to see three girls smirking at him. "Oh. I get it now."

A grin quickly spread across Collins's face as he wrapped Andi into a bear hug. Sometimes Collins overdid those, so Andi was getting very close to being suffocated. She wriggled away, short of breath. "Thanks, man." He laughed.

"It's about time, too." The four laughed.

"About time what?" They looked up to see Roger coming in the door. Angel gave him a why-don't-you-knock look, but he just shrugged and sat down next to Mimi. Andi was in a happy mood, so she threw her arms around Roger, even though they weren't close. He was a bit startled by this, but still hugged her. When she pulled away, he just looked at her like she was crazy. "Do I want to know?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'm engaged to your best friend." Roger's eyes widened.

"He asked you?" Andi nodded. "God, Collins was right. It _is_ about time. He's been wanting to ask you for the longest time." Andi's smile left her face.

"What?" Mimi rolled her eyes and hit Roger in the stomach.

"Roger, you weren't supposed to tell anyone about that," she scolded him. When he regained the ability to breathe, she hit him again. In the same spot. Andi was still frowning.

"You knew too?"

"Mark's a chicken when it comes to stuff like that," she explained. "That's all. He was afraid you'd say no to him." Andi sighed with relief and nodded.

"Say no to who?" Maureen and Joanne stepped inside the apartment, causing Angel to groan.

"Does _anyone_ _ever_ _knock?"_ Everyone laughed as Joanne half-carried half-dragged a huge Maureen over to a chair. Once the diva was settled, Joanne took a seat on the floor, looking at Andi.

"To answer you, Angel, no," she said, still keeping her eyes on Andi. The artist felt this, finding it to be somewhat scary. She shot Joanne a weird look, causing the lawyer to shake her head. "Sorry, Andi. You look...different today. Happier. Something happen?" Maureen squealed.

"Oooooooohhhh, Pooks, I think I know what happened!" she shouted. She started kicking her legs, attempting to get up. "No one laugh. I'm five months pregnant and walking for two. Now if you could -grunt- just -grunt- help me -grunt- up --" Joanne went over to the kicking woman and stood her on her feet. Once she was upright, Maureen waddled over to Andi and took her left hand. Joanne watched carefully. But Maureen just smiled.

"Yep," the diva said, "just as I suspected. Look at that ring!" Maureen and Joanne both gave Andi hugs, congratulating her a _lot._ Once they were done, Andi got up and looked around. She frowned and said, "Mark's not here. He's filming. Damn." Collins chuckled.

"I think you should all head home anyway. Wedding's tomorrow." Angel and Collins walked everyone to the door. Once they were all out, the couple ran for the bedroom.

_**Following day, hour before wedding:**_

"Fuck, Roger," Mimi grumbled. She woke up, took one look at the alarm clock, and mentally kicked herself. She got Roger up by shaking him roughly. He woke up with a final snore and sat up.

"Mimi, I'm fragile," he whined. She shot him a dirty look. "What did I do?"

"Roger, I told you to set the alarm," Mimi screamed. "We're getting married in an hour!" That woke Roger up. The couple jumped out of bed, running to the bathroom. Mimi beat Roger there and shut the door on him. "You see, I _would_ let you in," she said from the other side of the door, "but you forgot to set the alarm. So now you can wait till _after_ we're married. Ha." Roger groaned and went to make coffee.

Once Mimi came out, he went into the shower, and they were both done in half an hour. She put her dress carefully in a bag (it was bad luck if he saw her in the wedding dress, or something), and they headed to the church.

Once Mimi got there, she was dragged into a large, fancy bathroom by Angel, Andi and Joanne. Maureen was busy talking to Roger's parents, who were very interested in her protests. Mimi, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck.

"Oh God, where's the dress?" Angel wordlessly took the bag out of Mimi's hand and pulled out the girl's wedding dress. The rest of them fitted the dress on the small bride, and then Andi stepped forward and said something that shocked them all.

"I want to do her hair." For a minute, no one did anything. Soon, they were all laughing at Andi. Unfortunately, the artist was serious. "You don't believe I can do hair? Watch." She snatched some hair gel off of the small bathroom counter and put it into her hair. Andi slowly brushed it through her un-tamable hair, and it straightened. She then grabbed a scissor and snipped her hair, until it fell in layers. Once this was finished, she washed her hair out and dried it. It stayed straight, and all of the girls just stared.

"What?" Andi asked. She brought her hand up to her hair. "Should I have done bangs?" Mimi took the brush and handed it to Andi.

"Sorry, Ang, but this girl's a genius," she said. Angel shrugged and began to put the flowers together with Joanne. Andi went to work on Mimi's hair, and in fifteen minutes, they were all done. Mimi's hair was pulled back into a sort of half-pony tail thing, but the top was a braid. The rest of her hair cascaded down her back in long, bouncy curls. Once she hugged all of the girls, she went to meet her father, to walk down the aisle.

She found her dad waiting for her behind two huge doors. She smiled and hugged him. Even though they didn't have a great past, she felt that he should be there. They stood out of the way as Collins walked Angel down the aisle, Mark walked Andi down, and her brother walked Joanne down. Right before he did, he grabbed Joanne's ass, trying to flirt with her. She yelled at him, while Mimi and her dad laughed.

Finally, it was her time to walk down the aisle. She grasped her dad's arm as she walked, noting the pink flowers that Maureen picked strewn along the carpet. She walked up a couple of stairs, hugged her dad, and stood in front of Roger. The priest was about to start, but Mark tapped him on the shoulder. He whispered something to the priest, and he walked away. Mark then stood in front of the couple.

"Okay, you guys, I just need to start this off," he said, and Collins knew what he was talking about. Mark smiled and said, "Dearly beloved, we gather here to..."

Once the group recovered from laughing at their joke, the priest really _did_ say everything he needed to. Roger sang his "Your Eyes" song, and Mimi read something she wrote. Finally, they got down to the big, "Do you, Roger Davis, take Maria Marquez to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to --"

"I do," Roger said, squeezing Mimi's hands.

"Okay," the priest said. He turned to Mimi. "And do you, Maria Marquez, take Roger Davis --"

"Oh my God, YES!" Mimi said. When everyone gave her funny looks, she blushed. "Sorry. Um, I do."

"Well, then, I now pronounce you husband and wife!" the priest exclaimed. "You may now --"

Roger grabbed Mimi's waist and pressed her to him in a long, passionate kiss. The priest sighed. "You may now _keep_ kissing the bride." Once the two broke apart, the whole church cheered. The group of bohemians said their congratulations, and let new married couple see their families. Once all congratulations were said, Mimi stood up on a bench, trying to get everyone's attention.

"HEY!" she shouted, and all eyes fell on her. She smiled and said, "I just thought all of you should know, that I am now Mrs. MARIA DAVIS!"

A/N: Reviews make me happy, you know


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: warning: lotsa dialogue in this chapter. Enjoy, R&R...you know the drill.**

Maureen was bored. And when Maureen was bored, she was grumpy. And when Maureen was grumpy, the world ended. The diva had been channel-surfing for over an hour. Mark was filming, Angel and Collins were doing only God knows what, her Pookie was working on some last-minute case and Roger and Mimi were on their honeymoon. Then she remembered Andi.

Struggling to get up, Maureen lifted herself off the couch. She waddled over to the phone, grabbed it, and settled down on a chair. She dialed Andi's number, waiting for her friend to pick up. After three rings, "OH GOD, STOP CALLING ME! I'VE TOLD YOU SEVEN TIMES ALREADY, I DON'T WANT TO BUY YOUR STUPID SHAMPOO!"

Maureen burst out laughing. Once her laughter subsided, she choked out, "Andi, you alright?"

"Oh, Mo, that you?"

"Yeah."

Andi sighed. "I'm sorry, Maureen. I've been having a really bad day today. Some company has been calling me, trying to make me buy their shampoo. I've never even heard of them."

Maureen chuckled. "Yeah, I know," she replied, "the same thing happened to us. Joanne told 'em off, though."

"Duh. She's a lawyer."

"Don't I know it." Andi laughed. "Why's your day so bad? I mean, it's just a couple of phone -- oh God." Maureen's face scrunched up and she put her hand on her stomach.

"Mo? You okay? Something happen?" Andi got no reply. "Maureen? Are you alright?"

"Oh God, Andi," Maureen said slowly. "I think that -- I think --"

"Maureen, are you having a baby?" Andi half asked, half shouted. The painter was now incredibly worried, and Maureen wasn't even answering her.

"Oh, God, no," Maureen replied after a couple of minutes. "If I was, I'd be screaming. And cursing. Besides, I'm only seven months pregnant."

"Well what's wrong, then?"

Maureen giggled. "My baby moved! Andi, she moved!"

"Moved!" Andi cried. "That's it? You only wanted to tell me that -- wait, _she?"_ Maureen giggled. "_SHE?"_

"Yeah."

"Mo, you're having a girl?" Andi asked, totally shocked. The artist thought Maureen would have a boy. Ah well, she was usually wrong about that stuff anyway.

"Yeah, I'm having a girl."

"Oh, honey, that's great!" Andi exclaimed. "What's it like?"

"What? What's what like?"

"Being pregnant," Andi said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, uh, let's start with the downsides --"

Andi winced. "There are more than one?"

"Kinda," Maureen said. "For the first, uh, maybe three months, all you do in the mornings is puke. And get really fat. Oh, and my feet really hurt. So do my boobs. And I hear giving birth is hell."

"Uh, howsabout the good stuff?"

Maureen laughed. "You get to give life to someone. I think that that's one of the coolest thing ever."

"That's it?" Andi asked meekly. "Just givin' life?"

"Well, Andi, that's something pretty big, if you ask me," Maureen said. "What else could you want?"

"Dunno," Andi replied. She didn't know what she wanted. After a couple of minutes, "Mo, when did you and Joanne decide to have a kid?"

"I've been wanting a child forever," Maureen said, "but Jo just decided last year. We kept it a surprise from you guys until we were totally sure. And then I made her get into bed with me because I figured we wouldn't be able to do that for awhile, and Andi, let me tell you, the things that the woman can do with her tongue --"

"God, Maureen, stop!" Andi exclaimed. "I just wanted to know when you were ready."

"I'm still not ready. Pregnancy is sort of...hell."

Andi groaned. "What great stuff to look forward to."

"Tell me abou -- look forward to?" Maureen gasped. "Andi? Something you want to share with me?"

"Maureen, I --"

**A/N: Short, I know, and I apologize. But it's kind of a cliffie. Kinda. Oh, just work with me. **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: this took FOREVER to write. Dunno why. Ah, well. Just enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: this is for all the past chapters that I forgot to say the disclaimer: I don't own it. I'm what I own...you're what you own...oh, forget it.**

"Andi? Hello?" Maureen was getting nowhere. Andi wasn't talking, and soon, a dial tone was heard. That made Maureen mad. She struggled to get up off the couch and grabbed her coat. For once, she didn't mind the fact that she was going to go out in public wearing fuzzy Elmo slippers and pink pajama pants with cows all over them. She snatched her purse off of the coffee table, left Joanne a note, and waddled out the door.

After a few blocks of walking/waddling/begging a hobo for a piggy back ride, Maureen made it to Andi's place. As she stepped into the building, she thanked God that there was an elevator, even if it was only two floors up. Maureen didn't think she could take walking up stairs today.

After having a nice chat with an old woman in the elevator, Maureen ran into the hall. She took in the smell of paint and linseed oil, and found, strangely, that they smelled pretty good. She set the matter aside and knocked on Andi's door. After about thirty seconds of waiting, Maureen got a little worried.

"Andi?" she called, "You okay?"

No answer. Maureen started to get a little more worried, so she just walked into Andi's little apartment. She gasped and sympathized at the sight before her.

Andi was sitting on the floor by the phone, not moving. Her eyes were blank, her face expressionless. Her legs were drawn up against her chest with one arm. In her free hand, she tightly held a glass of wine. She was also biting her bottom lip -- not a good sign. Andi's only bitten her bottom lip once before around the bohemians, and that was when Collins accidentally knocked over some yellow paint onto one of her sketchbooks. She had begun to bite her lip, then sniffle, then cry. Once the crying was done, she kicked Collins out of her house and stopped talking to him for a good three hours.

Maureen quickly went over to the small girl and pulled her up onto the couch. Andi gratefully accepted Maureen's warm hug, setting her wine down on the floor. "Hon, are you...?"

Andi threw her arms around Maureen and cried. Maureen's maternal instincts began kicking in, and she tried to comfort Andi as best as she could by rubbing her back soothingly and taking away the wine when she reached for it again. When the drama queen felt the artist shake, she decided enough was enough. She sat Andi up, handed her a tissue, and ordered her to blow. She did.

"Okay, do you know anything yet?" Maureen asked gently. Andi shrugged and reached for her wine. Maureen sighed and took it away again. "Honey, if you are...you know, then this isn't going to help you. At all." Andi nodded and rubbed her head.

"I don't even know," Andi exclaimed, grabbing another tissue. "I mean, I'm not _that_ late. Only a week. Maybe I'm not...Mo, what do I do? Jesus, what if I am? Mark's gonna hate me."

Maureen cackled. "He won't hate you," she said a bit softer. She offered Andi her infamous Maureen Johnson smile. "And if you _are_ pregnant, you can blame it all on him." Andi just sniffled. "Oh God, Andi, it _is_ Mark's, right?" Andi would have hit her if she wasn't pregnant.

"That makes me feel _so_ much better," she said bitterly. She looked up at Maureen with wet eyes and said, "What do I do?"

Maureen got up slowly, then pulled Andi up with her. They walked over to a small pharmacy down on Avenue C, Maureen talking the entire time while Andi was silent. Once they were inside, Maureen immediately asked a teenager who worked there where the pregnancy tests were. Once they bought one and went back to Maureen's apartment, the diva took charge.

"Do you know how these things work?" she asked. Andi nodded. Maureen smiled and said, "Then you know what to do." Andi scampered into the bathroom and Maureen settled herself on the couch (right after she hid all of the wine, that is.) This was when Joanne walked into the apartment and sat down on the couch next to Maureen.

"Hey Honeybear," she said, and she kissed Maureen on the lips. "And hello to you too, Baby Girl," she cooed, giving Maureen's belly a kiss. Maureen shushed her and told her about Andi. The lawyer smiled. "That means two new additions to the family. It'll be sweet."

"I don't know, Jo," Maureen said skeptically. "Andi didn't seem too happy about it." She checked Joanne's watch. "She should be done by now," Maureen muttered. The two women got up and made their way to the bathroom. Joanne timidly knocked on the door.

"Andi?" Maureen called. "Jo's here. You want to talk to one of us?" No answer. Maureen tried opening the door, but it was locked. "Hey, if you don't come out..."

"I'll go all lawyer on you!" Joanne finished. The door flew open so fast it almost smashed into the wall behind it. Andi stepped out, chucked the test into the garbage, and plopped down on the couch. Joanne and Maureen followed her, and just by the mixed expression on her face, they could tell. "You wanna call Mark?" Joanne asked gently.

Andi absently nodded and reached over for the phone. She shakily dialed the loft's number. "Hey, you guys, it's Andi," she said quietly. "C'mon, someone pick up...Oh, thank God it's you...Um, no, I'm not really all that great...Nonono, don't worry, I'm not hurt...Yeah, you want to come down to Maureen and Joanne's place?...Okay, I'll see you soon...Love you too...'Kay...Bye." She turned to Joanne. "He's coming, that okay?"

Joanne nodded. "Do you want us to stay out here?" she asked gently. Andi nodded, and both women gave Andi warm hugs. They sat with her, comforting her, until Mark came.

Mark knocked on the door and walked into the apartment. He saw Andi on the couch, drawing on a scrap piece of paper. (Maureen and Joanne were standing, talking quietly.) He ran over and sat next to her, startling her. She hid the drawing and gave Mark a passionate kiss on the mouth. He broke away and smiled. "Hey, you okay? You seemed so paranoid over the phone."

"Mark, I really don't know how to say this," Andi said quietly. Mark took her hand and urged her to go on. "Um, Mark, do you like kids?"

"Sure, why not?" Mark said, completely oblivious to the situation at hand. "I mean, we're gonna have one around pretty fucking soon --"

"DON'T YOU CURSE IN FRONT OF MY BABY, MARK COHEN!" Maureen yelled while Joanne quietly chuckled.

"We're going to have one around pretty STINKING soon," Mark finished. "And they're kinda cute. Why, though?"

"Because, uh, there's not just going to be one kid around."

Mark's eyes widened as the drawing of a small baby fell onto the floor behind Andi. "Are you --"

"Yeah," Andi said quietly, afraid of what Mark's reaction was going to be.

**A/N: Well, there ya have it. R&R.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: go ahead. Kill me. I know it's been awhile skillfully dodges objects being thrown but here's the second-to-last chapter. I swear, there's an ending in sight.  
**

**And writer's block is a bitch.  
**

**Oh, right, one more thing. There's a kind of pointless conversation between Mark and Andi here. I don't know why I put it. I wrote it earlier, and was debating if I should put it in or not, and I decided to. There is plenty of randomness in this chapter, so if ya don't like, don't read. Simple as that. But if you do read, let me know what you think about my mindless crap.  
**

**This is really the last thing. For all of those around here who like Wicked, PLEASE check out my story called "The Story of Elphaba and Nessarose." It's my first real Wicked fic, so, I just need feedback. Okay, I'll stop before the A/N is longer than the story...**

_"Because, uh, there's not just going to be one kid around."_

_Mark's eyes widened as the drawing of a small baby fell onto the floor behind Andi. "Are you --"_

_"Yeah," Andi said quietly, afraid of what Mark's reaction was going to be._

Mark's grasp on Andi's hands tightened. He let out a worried breath and leaned back on the couch. He looked over at his fiance with a worried expression. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Short, sweet and to the point, eh?

"But, And, we're not even married yet!!" He stood up and started pacing around, something he almost never did. His face was flushed, but not from embarrassment, from shock and a little bit of anger. "Oh, God, Andi. How are we going to take care of a kid?"

"If Maureen can do it, so can we?" she said/asked hesitantly, despite Maureen's pouting. Mark stopped and laughed. He sat down next to his fiance and kissed her temple.

"I don't understand how you could be so funny with this situation at hand," he said. She shrugged and leaned against his chest. "How long have you known, anyway?"

"I was only a week late."

"A week?"

"Mmhmm."

"Christ."

"What's wrong with a week?"

"Nothing, Andi." He had a playful smile on his face that she happily returned.

"Tell me."

"Nothing!"

"C'mon, now you gotta tell me."

"Says who?"

"Says me, the mother of your child!" She paused. "Or is it?"

Another pause.

"WHAT?!?!"

"God, Mark, I was kidding."

"Right, right. Okay."

"What, you don't believe me?"

"No, Andi, I do." She raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look!"

"What look?" she asked innocently.

"That one."

"Not helping, dear."

"I hate you."

"Oh, honey, no you don't."

"I know. Now could you tell me why you didn't tell me?"

Andi hated logical-ish questions. "What?"

"You were a week late. You could have told me."

"But I didn't."

"I've established that, sweetie. Why?"

"Because."

"You enjoy annoying me, don't you?"

"It's how I get through the day, babe."

"Still hating ya."

"You said that two minutes ago."

"I know. I'm repeating it for effect."

"Nice."

Before either of them could continue, Maureen sighed. "You two," she pointed at Mark and Andi, "make me friggin' _sick_! I mean, c'mon, you're not even _mad_ at each other? Mark, you have to be mad for not _knowing_ about your own _kid_. And Andi, the guy got you _pregnant_! You're not upset at _all?_"  
"No," they replied together.

"Now can we please get back to our conversation?" Andi asked, gesturing towards Mark and herself.

Maureen rolled her eyes. "No."

"Maybe you guys could start planning your wedding?" Joanne supplied. She sat down on the loveseat and pulled Maureen next to her. "Don't you want to get married before this kid comes?"

"Hey, she still didn't tell me why she didn't tell me --"

"STOP!" Maureen shouted. "Andi'll tell you now, won't she?"

"I--"

"WON'T SHE?"

"I thought you'd be mad," Andi said quietly, looking at her shoes, unsure of who she was more afraid of: Maureen or Mark. Maureen shrugged and snuggled up closer to Joanne, while Mark's expression was sort of hurt.

"You thought I would be upset with you for having my kid?" He sighed. "Ands, I could never get mad at you. I was a little bit worried, but definitely not mad. Honey, I want this baby." Andi's face brightened.

"You do?" she cried, smiling from ear-to-ear. He nodded, and they shared a small, lovely kiss. Although, it broke when they heard claps coming from the terrace outside. Mimi, Roger, Collins and Angel all climbed through the door, Roger holding Mark's camera, narrating, "Close on Mark Cohen, who just found out that his fiance is pregnant, but the paternity tests have not been released yet."

"Shut up, Roger." Mark stood up and turned to Joanne. "Since when do you guys have a terrace, Jo?"

"We have a terrace, Pookie?" Maureen stood up too, waddling over to the small balcony. It had small flower pots scattered around, and a little table. Maureen pulled back the curtain on the door's window and looked through it. "I've been living here for God only knows how long, and I've never known about this?"

"Maureen, sweetie," Joanne said soothingly, "we just sat out there yesterday."

"Oh. Oops." Maureen giggled.

Mimi took a seat on the couch. "But you guys! In a couple of months there are going to be kids around! Can you believe that?

"We have to babyproof everything," Angel noted.

Collins gasped. "WHAT? I need a joint every once in a while!"

"Well, do you want to set a good example for these kids?" Angel asked. She sighed, frustrated. "I know we live in, okay, the center of bohemia and all, but I don't want these kids to grow up to be future junkies, strippers, juvenile delinquents..."

Roger shrugged. "I don't think we'll be able to tell when it comes to Maureen's spastic little offspring."

Joanne shot him a look.

Mimi shot him a look.

Collins shot him a look.

Angel shot him a look.

Maureen didn't just shoot him a look. She ended up chasing him with a wooden spoon.

**A/N: I'm starting the next chapter now!!! But reviews still rock my socks.**


	20. Chapter 20

Since some people are having a hard time putting chapters up, HERE'S HOW:

First you log in. (Duh, on my part.)

Then you go to 'stories'.

Then you go to content/chapters (the link under logout.)

Then you should see a chart that lists all of the chapters of that story. It lists the names on the left side, and then it has different columns on the right side. "delete" "edit" "backup" and "export".

Then you click the button under export for any of the chapters. then that becomes one of your documents. You can edit it, and paste your story chapter onto it. Save it, and then load it onto your story.

I hope that helped!  
--notEASYbeinGREEN

ps -- I now expect reviews!!!


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: you people are nuts, I can't just end a story with Roger getting chased by Maureen and a spoon!!! Ugh. So here it is. The very last chapter. It's kind of in flashbacks, interview style, so don't get confused. And I'm the interviewer. And I'm interviewing Marky. :D**

**Disclaimer: Oh, shucks. I went through the whole story and it's still not mine. Well, I have fanfiction, so I'm okay. **

"I can't believe a year went by so fast."

Maureen? She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Fredi Nicole Jefferson-Johnson. She still remembers the day that she went to the hospital. She told me about it in full detail, of course:

"_Joanne was reading a book, and I was sitting next to her, my head in her lap. I had been so tired lately, only getting up, really, to go to the bathroom and shower. And eat, of course. It was then that I felt a sharp pain jolt through my body. I knew what was about to happen._

"'_Jo, Pooks, we need to go."_

"'_One sec, Mo, I only have a couple more pages." She was so oblivious to the situation. Unfortunately for her, this made me mad._

"'_You fucking idiot, I think that I'm in labor!" She flung her book to the corner of the room, and helped me up. She grabbed my bag and we flew downstairs, where we saw you, Marky. When you realized what was happening your face got all red. But you hailed a cab for us anyway. The ride over was basically me yelling at Jo. I didn't realize you filming the __**whole fucking thing**__, by the way._

"_So, at the hospital, I get rushed into the delivery room, Jo by my side. The scary part of the whole thing was that I was excited. The other scary part was that it HURT. I swear to God, the baby was the size of an elephant. I had to squeeze an elephant out of a teensy-weensy little hole the size of a freaking apple._

"_But once it was over, and I felt like I was about to pass out, my daughter was handed to me. And I swear, I fell in love the second I saw her. She had my brown eyes and little tufts of curls. Since we chose a father with a similar complexion to Jo, she had pale mocha skin. The real thing that got me was her button nose._

"_I beckoned Joanne over to me, and she reached out a hand to touch our baby's face. When the little girl felt her Mama's strong hand, she cooed and reached out to her. We held her together, tears in our eyes, all of our friends around us. You guys had tears in your eyes too. And Andi, with her big pregnant belly. I think it was the best moment of my life."_

Andi and I are doing very well. We just moved in together -- her apartment, not mine. The loft was too crowded anyway.

Our wedding? It was going down to city hall with all of our friends and signing a few papers. Nothing big.

We're the proud parents of twins! Oh come on, show some enthusiasm. Our boy, Jonathan Anthony Cohen, is amazing. He has my blond hair and icy blue eyes, and Andi's nose and freckles. His ears are huge, and he's always smiling. We don't really know where the name Jonathan came from, but we thought he looked like a Jonathan when he came out.

Our girl, Angelica Rose Cohen, is stunning. She's basically a replica of her mother, only with my blue eyes. Her name was originally going to be Rose, but Angel was the one who helped Andi to the hospital while she was in labor. Alexi had me working. I felt horrible when I got the call.

_I had been having the worst day. Alexi was working me like a dog, and I was worried to death about Andi. My work cell phone started to ring, and I swore. "HELLO?!?"_

"_Mark, sweetie, it's Angel." I sighed as an apology, and she seemed to understand. "Can you get out of work?"_

"_Honestly, no. Alexi is --" When I saw my boss watching me, I lowered my voice, "Alexi is being a bitch. You give me a good excuse, and maybe. How come?"_

"_Andi."_

_I was immediately worried. "Is she alright? Did something happen to her or the babies? She's not hurt, or anything, is she? Oh my God, Angel, what's going on?"_

_Angel chuckled. "She's at the hospital." I gasped. "Oh, honey, don't worry, she's not sick. She's having a baby!"_

_I hung up the phone and ran over to Alexi. She seemed a little annoyed, but my wife was having a kid, what did I care? "Alexi, I have to go."_

"_You can't," she said sternly. "You need to finish this segment by the end of the week."_

"_Alexi," I said impatiently, "my wife is having a baby. I really have to go!"_

_She seemed to get happier. "Well, tell her congratulations. I guess that the segment could wait until --"_

_I didn't even let her finish. I threw my arms around her, squeezing her into a hug. "For a cold-hearted bitch, you're great!" Of course, I didn't actually say that. I turned on my heel and ran to the subway station. I was too far away from the hospital to take a cab, and I needed to get there fast. _

_There was a half an hour train delay._

_Once I got to the hospital, I asked for Andi's room. I told them I was her husband, and Angel was already in there. She could tell I was new at this experience, so she guided me to the room. I stepped in, and saw my wife on the bed, sweaty hair sticking to her forehead._

"_Angel, it HURTS!!!" She was clutching the drag queen's hand and crying. Angel was wiping away the tears and rubbing her shoulders soothingly. I ran over to the side of her bed and took her other hand. She saw me and smiled. "Maureen didn't tell me it would be this bad."_

"_I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I'm quitting Buzzline the second I get my next paycheck." I gave her a gentle kiss. "Are you almost ready to ... You know." I gestured to her stomach._

"_Almost, baby. Almo ..." She stopped, midsentence, and her face scrunched up. The grip on my hand tightened. "OUCH!! YOU MOTHERFUCKING LITTLE BABY, WOULD YOU COME ON OUT, ALREADY?"_

_I'm not going into detail about the birth. I wasn't really all that keen on looking down there, so I stayed up on the top of the bed with Andi. The doctors allowed me to lay down with her. We made up a plan: whenever she had to push, we'd kiss. Although, she wanted me to witness the birth of Angela (Jonathan came first). So, I stayed at the bottom for Angela (I only did it for my wife, but, the birth was beautiful), and I cut the cord for both of them._

_Soon after, our babies were given to us. And, I think Maureen said it best, that the second we saw them, we fell in love. Only Angel was in there with us. She smiled through her tears, and gave each baby a kiss. She then retreated to a corner to give us some time alone with our kids. After a few minutes, we called her over to us._

"_Angel, thank you so much," Andi started, but Angel waved it off._

"_Honey, it was no biggie."_

"_But it was," I supplied. I stood, handing her Angelica. "We were going to name her Rose Cohen. But we decided on a new name, and we want to know what you think of it."_

"_Hmm?" She was tickling Angelica's chin, causing the baby to giggle._

"_We want to name her Angela."_

_When both Angel and Angela heard the name, they looked up and smiled at the same time, only Angel had tears in her eyes. I didn't need my camera to remember any of that day._

Angela and Jonathan are six months old now, and Fredi is a year and a half. Fredi gets along very well with the twins; she knows how to make them laugh. Especially Angelica! The two little girls giggle all the time. It's adorably funny. I think, though, that the funniest thing that has happened this year was Mimi's reaction to Fredi. Roger's, as well.

_When Roger came into Maureen's room, Joanne was holding Fredi, while the diva was asleep. He went over to Jo and gave her a half-hug (he didn't want to squish Fredi.) _

_Mimi walked in a few minutes after; she had just come from work. She got a new job: working at the Life. She's now a part-time waitress Mondays through Fridays. Roger bartends, too. _

_But, when Mimi walked in, Roger was blocking Fredi from her sight. She moved him over gently, and gazed down at the small girl. Her eyes widened and a smile immediately lit up her face. She politely asked Joanne to hold her, and Joanne obliged. Once Mimi had held Fredi for about five minutes, she turned to Roger and smiled._

"_We have to get one of these!" Roger laughed and gave her a kiss. "Can we?"_

"_Aw, why not?" Mimi squealed and handed Fredi back to Joanne. The lawyer quietly laughed, watching the couple. By this time, Maureen had awoke. "I mean, everyone else is doing it."_

"_We should go down to the children's house --"_

"_You're ADOPTING?" Collins seemed mildly surprised. "You're the only straight couple in this fucked up group ..."_

"_COLLINS!" Mark and Andi said at the same time._

"_Right. It really hasn't taken its full effect on me yet." Andi raised an eyebrow. "I mean, he was alone for so long ..."_

_Mark turned bright red. "Just continue your story please."_

"_Alright. So, y'all are adopting, even when you know that you're perfectly capable of ... Well ... You know." Mimi blushed. "I mean, you do it often enough ..."_

"_COLLINS!" Roger and Mimi said at the same time._

_Collins held up his hands in defense. "Well, I guess you aren't as bad as Maureen and Joanne here."_

"_COLLINS!" Joanne and Maureen yelled. _

_Collins crossed his arms over his chest. "I can see where I'm not wanted," he grumbled playfully. Joanne took Fredi from Roger and gave her back to Joanne, Mimi looking on, fascinated, the whole time._

You don't want to hear about the adoption yet? Oh, you do. Okay then. I'll tell you:

_Mimi was practically dancing around the loft. She had been looking forward to meeting her new daughter for about three months._

_The children's home asked that the people looking to adopt write a letter stating some of the qualities of the child that they would like. Mimi and Roger asked that the child take interest in any type of art form. They received a letter again, stating that there was a young girl, four years old, who enjoyed singing. The letter also said that, in spite of her young-sounding voice, the girl had a great set of lungs. When Roger read the letter he beamed._

_Mimi and Roger were exchanging letters with the girl, Sachi, for two months. Sachi's full name is Sachiyo, but she told all of us (when she met us), to just call her Sachi. She's from Japan, and apparently, her parents lead a very similar lifestyle to April._

_Anyway, the day Mimi and Roger went to pick her up, the both of them couldn't have been happier. They were gone about an hour, then returned with a small girl. Her skin was a cream color, and she was very shy, although she adored Mimi and Roger. The three stepped into the doorway and Mimi bent down next to her new daughter._

"_Chiquita, this is the rest of your family." She gestured to the whole group._

_Sachi clung to Mimi's legs, somewhat afraid. She chuckled and picked her up, cradling her in her arms. She smiled and snuggled closer to Mimi, wrapping her arms around her neck. Roger took a spot on the couch, Mimi following closely behind. Once they were settled on the couch, Sachi climbed off of Mimi and onto the small spot in between her parents._

"_What's all of your names?" the young girl asked quietly. Mimi pointed out everyone, saying each of our names. The four-year-old nodded. "Mine is Sachi."_

"_That's such a beautiful name," Andi said, and Sachi smiled. She stood up and went over to Andi, who was holding Angela. Sachi lifted herself up on the arm of the chair that Andi was sitting on to get a closer look at the baby. _

"_May I hold her hand for a minute?" Sachi asked quietly, after looking for a little while. Andi nodded, and Sachi took the baby's hand gently, stroking it. Mimi and Roger shared a small smile as Sachi got to know the rest of us, one by one._

I didn't say it already? God, I'm an idiot. Don't you give me that look. Fine, fine. Angel and Collins' engagement party was a few months ago. I was very drunk, so I don't remember much. I do remember the toast though:

_The whole gang, minus Angel and Collins, was about to sit down to eat, after mingling with people who we did not know, or like. Andi was holding Jonathan, and I was holding Angie (that's Angela's nickname). Fredi was crawling around tables under her Mama's watchful eye. The second she'd disappear under a tablecloth, Joanne would swoop down and hold her, lifting her high up, causing her to giggle. Maureen would take the toddler when she got hungry and feed her. Once she was full, Fredi would begin to crawl, and the whole thing would begin again._

_Right before the food was served, Collins stood up. He grabbed his wine glass, and the first eating utensil he saw, and began banging the two together. Unfortunately, the utensil he chose was a knife, so he ended up with a red wine stain on his shirt, and most of the tablecloth._

"_Damn. Sorry 'bout that, folks." He smiled sheepishly as Angel helped him get the stain off as best as she could. After a few minutes she gave up and handed him a jacket. "Thanks, Ang. Okay, now, y'all know why we're here, right?" He pulled Angel close to him. "To celebrate my engagement to the most wonderful person in the world, my Angel." Everyone clapped. "HEY! I ain't done yet! Y'all know me, I'm the speech-maker." A few playful groans were heard. "Now, I remember the first day that me and Angel met. It was on a really cold Christmas Eve, and I ..."_

"_Collins, babe," Angel interrupted. "I know everyone would just love to hear every minor detail of our love story, but, um, I'm hungry. So hurry it up. Roger's already stuffing his face."_

_All eyes turned to Roger, who had a mouth full of bread. Sachi giggled from Mimi's lap, and hid the bread she was about to eat under the tablecloth._

"_Alright, fine, I'll finish it up. Here's to a life with the woman I truly love." Collins raised his glass and took a long drink. Then, he said: "Rog, you pig, put the damn bread DOWN!"_

What got us through the last year? Oh, well, a lot of things. Our traditional, 'No Day But Today', of course. Sachi has taken a liking to that saying, and says it all of the time. Of course, all of the kids. It's a very different lifestyle, but we're getting used to the change. A personal favorite is the fact that I really did quit Buzzline. I'm filming my own stuff again. But, with the births of our children, and the cure for AIDS, I really think that all we had to do was hope.

**A/N: I'm DONE! Thanks to y'all who reviewed!  
**


	22. IMPORTANT AN!

A/N:** I posted a sequel, people! **You all have to go and read it. I'm offering chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream for reviews! lol, just go and read it. Called _The Second Generation of Hope. _

I hope I get some feedback from you guys!

--notEASYbeingGREEN


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